Barcelona are tracking Mexico international Santiago Giménez, although the Spanish champions are aware that competition for the striker will be high and Feyenoord will demand a big fee, a source told ESPN.
Giménez, 22, has been in explosive form this season, scoring 13 times in 10 Eredivisie appearances and another two in his sole Champions League outing to date, a 3-1 win over Lazio.
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Those performances have alerted some of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Barça, with the source adding that the Catalan side have been impressed by how quickly he has adapted to the European game.
Barça have sent various scouts to watch Giménez since he joined Feyenoord from Cruz Azul in 2022, intensifying their monitoring of him in recent weeks. His goal scoring instinct has been compared to that of Luis Suárez within the club.
Barça will continue to watch him closely in the coming months, with a source adding that he is a player the club are “keeping in mind” for the future, but an immediate deal would face a number of hurdles.
Firstly, Barça have already agreed a deal worth an initial €30 million ($31.7m), potentially rising to €61m with add-ons, for the Athletico Paranaense forward Vitor Roque, reducing the need for more attacking reinforcements.
The Brazil forward will either join the club in January or next summer to provide competition for Robert Lewandowski, although with the Poland striker turning 36 next year and linked with a move to Saudi Arabia last summer, further additions to the frontline have not been completely ruled out.
However, as revealed by ESPN recently, Barça’s current priority is to sign a deep-lying midfielder and two full-backs.
Any business will depend on Barça’s financial situation, too, with the club currently subject to spending restrictions as they are in excess of their LaLiga-imposed cap.
Therefore, it remains unclear whether they will be able to register the signing of Roque in January, as coach Xavi Hernández wants, or if they will have to wait until the summer.
Meanwhile, Feyenoord are also expected to command a big fee for Giménez, whose goals helped them win the Dutch league last season.
There is considered to be a lack of top-level No. 9s available, which has increased the interest in Giménez and is likely to drive up the cost of any permanent transfer.