Osimhen down pecking order as Barcelona director travel to England for another striker

Barcelona's sporting director Deco has reportedly travelled to London to open face-to-face negotiations with Chelsea and the representatives of forward João Pedro. 

According to MD, the Catalan giants, who recently secured the LALIGA title, are said to have pivoted their transfer strategy to target the Brazilian attacker.

This comes after realising a move for Atlético Madrid’s Julián Álvarez has become far too difficult to accomplish due to financial competition from the likes of PSG and rivalry with the Rojiblancos. 

Pedro only just joined Chelsea in the summer of 2025, but after a brilliant debut campaign at Stamford Bridge, recording 27 goal contributions across all competitions so far, he has firmly caught the eye of the Spanish champions. 

While Barcelona are determined to sign the striker and hope to negotiate a financially manageable fee, Chelsea remain highly reluctant to sell their recent acquisition and currently value their prized asset at a staggering €100 million mark.

Signing a top-level centre-forward ahead of the upcoming campaign to replace the likely departing Robert Lewandowski is at the top of Deco’s priorities for the summer.

This pivot to Pedro, which has triggered the trip to London, has created a domino effect regarding the rest of their transfer shortlist. 

Initially, Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen was positioned as the club's backup option in the event the Álvarez deal collapsed. 

However, by travelling to the English capital to discuss the parameters of a deal for Pedro instead, the Barcelona hierarchy has effectively moved Osimhen down their order of priority, establishing the Chelsea forward as their preferred alternative to lead the line.