Barcelona have already decided not to renew the contract of striker Robert Lewandowski, with the search for his replacement described as a “priority objective” according to a report in Spain.
Having turned 37 in August, Lewandowski is clearly in the twilight of his career, but there have been few concerns about his form. He netted 42 goals last season and has four in all competitions this year, having seen fitness concerns limit him to just four starts.
As he approaches the final six months of his contract, a decision clearly needs to be made on Lewandowski’s future. Sporting director Deco recently insisted that verdict would only be reached later in the season, but according to SPORT, everyone inside Barcelona knows this will be Lewandowski’s final year with the club.
Plans on how to replace Lewandowski next summer are already being drawn up and a whole host of big names have been linked.
President Joan Laporta recently warned fans to stop “obsessing” over a superstar name like Erling Haaland of Manchester City, even opening the door to operating with an unorthodox forward in a role similar to Ousmane Dembélé, a winger by trade, at Paris Saint-Germain.
Indeed, Barcelona are not expected to replace Lewandowski with an expensive forward. Ferran Torres, who has five goals to his name this year, will be given a greater role in attack and the plan is to find competition for him in the form of a younger option.
21-year-old Karl Etta Eyong of Levante is seen as a feasible target for Barcelona, who could also keep Marcus Rashford around as another option if they choose to trigger their option to buy the Manchester United loanee.
As for Lewandowski’s next move, that remains to be seen. It is suggested that his family hope to remain in Catalonia and the Poland veteran could decide to retire as a result, but if he opts to continue, there will be no shortage of interest.
A switch to Saudi Arabia has effectively been ruled out already but there could be offers from across Europe, where reports have recently named Italian giants AC Milan as suitors.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Priority Objective’—Barcelona Reach Shock Robert Lewandowski Contract ‘Decision’.
