Barcelona on alert: PSG goes for Gyökeres and the market stirs

Paris Saint-Germain will go for a goalscorer in the next summer market. The latest information indicates Luis Enrique's interest in Viktor Gyökeres, one of the forwards on FC Barcelona's radar, whom the French will try to entice with a 'top' salary to make him the new reference of their attacking trio. After Kylian Mbappé's departure, Ousmane Dembélé has taken on the responsibility of carrying the team's goal production, scoring 23 goals in 28 matches.

However, the Barcelona coach hopes to bring in a natural '9' after the failures that were the signings of Gonçalo Ramos and Randal Kolo Muani. Initially, Gyökeres would arrive for a price close to 80 million euros, a reasonable price considering the notable performance of the Stockholm native with Sporting CP, the team with which he has a contract until June 2028 and with which he has scored 77 goals in 85 official appearances, as well as 22 assists.

Gyökeres cannot stop Sporting's free fall in Europe

As the market rumors related to the Swede increase, so do the collective problems of Sporting CP. On Tuesday, the Portuguese practically sealed their fate in the Champions League with a heavy home defeat against Borussia Dortmund (0-3). Since the departure of Rúben Amorim, the 'lions' have lost four out of five matches in the top European competition, with only one goal from Gyökeres (against Leipzig) in that streak.

The consolation for the Lisbon team is in the Portuguese league, where they remain leaders with a four-point advantage over one of Barcelona's potential rivals in the Champions League round of 16, Benfica. Viktor has scored 34 goals in 35 matches with Sporting, 22 of them in the Portuguese First Division. For the Barcelona team, the Swede is one of the most valued options to replace Robert Lewandowski, but the board must act quickly if they want to compete head-to-head with PSG in the summer market.