There’s a fairly established pattern when it comes to the biggest clubs targeting a new signing in the transfer market, and that’s playing out at Barcelona now.
There will always be a main target that dominates the news, rumours will sway from a deal being close to potential issues, and that can drag on for months.
Then a plan B will suddenly appear, usually from nowhere as someone close to the deal tries to offer the threat of an alternative in an attempt to hurry things up.
READ MORE: Transfer boost for Barcelona as Inter Milan change their stance on swap deal
That seems to be the case with Barcelona in their chase for Lautaro Martinez, after goal.com reported that Real Sociedad striker Alexander Isak was being touted as a possible alternative to the Inter Milan striker.
It was always tough to figure out if there was anything truthful about those reports, especially when you consider they’ve been shut down almost immediately:
Barça not currently interested in Real Sociedad striker Isak. He’s young, so may change in future, but still focused on Lautaro and/or Neymar … but all up in the air atm due to coronavirus.
— Samuel Marsden (@samuelmarsden) April 15, 2020
It’s clear that Barca do want a new striker to eventually go on to replace Luis Suarez, but it seems that it won’t be Isak for this Summer at least.