Barcelona had a busy end to the summer transfer window, and one piece of business saw them sign Gabriel Jesus from Arsenal. The 29-year-old arrives to provide competition in the centre forward position following the club’s failed pursuit of Julian Alvarez, although he was not the only Premier League striker that the Catalans could have signed.
Barcelona showed interest in a large number of strikers, but they were clear that Alvarez was their main man. He still is, which is why they decided to secure the services of Jesus in a low-cost deal, but had they waited, an even better opportunity could have arisen.
As per [MD](https://www.mundodeportivo.com/futbol/fc-barcelona/20260902/1004222711/ewq.html), Barcelona were offered the chance to sign Nick Woltemade before the back-end of last week. The Germany international lost prominence at Newcastle United over the summer, and this led to him becoming a possible option to be re-united with former teammate Anthony Gordon.
The problem for Woltemade, who would have welcomed joining Hansi Flick’s squad, was that Barcelona were too far down the line with Jesus before he was offered to them. A deal may have only been [agreed on Sunday](https://barcanewsnetwork.com/barcelona-agree-surprise-deal-for-arsenal-star-as-julian-alvarez-alternative/), but it was at an advanced stage several days prior, and the Catalans were committed to seeing it through.
In the end, Woltemade joined Juventus on a season-long loan – but without an option to buy. He will return to Newcastle next summer, at which point he could become a candidate to strengthen Barcelona’s attacker group, especially if Alvarez is still kept out of reach by Atletico Madrid at that time, which is expected to be the case.
For now, Barcelona are happy to proceed with Jesus, Raphinha, Gordon and co. as options to play through the middle, but depending on how the 2026-27 season goes, they could be back in the market next summer for someone like Woltemade.