Ayoze Perez to Barcelona transfer chances: How likely is shock Villarreal move? Football Whispers Index score

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Ayoze Perez to Barcelona transfer chances: How likely is shock Villarreal move? Football Whispers Index score
Will Ayoze Perez to Barcelona happen? Photo by IconSport/Zuma

Barcelona have spent the summer hunting for a new centre forward following the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres.

Villarreal's Ayoze Perez has emerged as a cut price name in that search, with reports linking the 33-year-old to a Camp Nou move as a cheaper alternative to Julian Alvarez.

Not everyone agrees the interest is genuine, though, and Barcelona are now believed to be closing in on another target in the shape of Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus.

Here, the Football Whispers Index rates the likelihood of Perez joining the La Liga champions.

Ayoze Perez to Barcelona – Whispers Index preview
Football Whispers Index: Transfer predictor

Ayoze Perez to Barcelona

Unlikely
Barcelona have all but resolved their striker search elsewhere, agreeing a deal for Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus for around €10m.
Updated
Financial viability18 / 25
Buying club need7 / 20
Player motivation10 / 15
Selling club incentive17 / 20
Market momentum0 / 20
Financial viability18 / 25
  • Barcelona posted €974.8m in revenue for 2024/25, the second highest figure in world football behind Real Madrid's €1.16bn, according to the 2026 Deloitte Football Money League.
  • Perez has been credited with a release clause of around €30m, with other reports suggesting Villarreal could sanction a sale for closer to €10m.
  • Barcelona's La Liga squad cost limit stood at €432.8m in March 2026, some way below a wage bill estimated at over €500m.
  • Perez's Villarreal contract runs to 30 June 2028, leaving the club two more years to find a buyer before losing him for nothing.
Buying club need7 / 20
  • Barcelona are finalising a separate deal for Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus, a fee reported around €10m, with the Brazilian due a medical this week.
  • Villarreal team mate Georges Mikautadze, 25, is understood to be the club's current first-choice centre-forward.
  • Perez turns 34 next July, ten years older than Karim Adeyemi, 24, the forward Barcelona signed from Borussia Dortmund this summer.
Player motivation10 / 15
  • A move to Barcelona, the reigning La Liga champions, would be a clear step up from 45th-ranked Villarreal in the Opta Power Rankings.
  • Perez started just 12 of Villarreal's 25 La Liga matches last season, and was substituted after 56 minutes of the club's opening 2026/27 fixture.
  • Radio MARCA reporter David Sanchez said on 18 August that Perez would be ready to push for a move if Barcelona made an approach.
Selling club incentive17 / 20
  • Villarreal team mate Georges Mikautadze, 25, is the club's highest paid player on €4.58m a year, and appears established as senior centre-forward.
  • Perez was withdrawn at half time plus 11 minutes in Villarreal's 2-2 draw away at Racing Santander on 16 August, the club's opening league game of the season.
  • His contract, running to 30 June 2028, still gives Villarreal two years to negotiate a fee before a free departure.
Market momentum0 / 20
  • Fabrizio Romano confirmed on 21 August that Barcelona have agreed a deal to sign Gabriel Jesus from Arsenal for around €10m, with a medical scheduled this week.
  • Journalist Matteo Moretto said on 19 August that Perez is not currently part of Barcelona's list of forward targets.
  • Spanish outlet Sport reported Barcelona's remaining forward plans now centre on a January return for Julian Alvarez rather than a second summer signing.
  • Barcelona have already made two other forward-line additions this summer, Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi, leaving little apparent room for a third.
The verdict49 / 100
Barcelona have moved on from Ayoze Perez, agreeing a deal to sign Arsenal's Gabriel Jesus for around €10m instead. Villarreal's Georges Mikautadze remains the senior striker at the Estadio de la Ceramica, leaving little incentive on either side to force through a Perez exit this window. It would only happen now if the Jesus deal collapses before Tuesday's deadline. It dies the moment Jesus completes his medical, with Barcelona's remaining forward business pointed at a January move for Julian Alvarez instead.
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