Robert Lewandowski has it admitted who doesn’t see himself playing beyond the next two or three seasons at most, revealing he wants to retire on his own terms when the time is right.
For now, the veteran Polish striker is still banging in the goals for Barcelona and leads the European Golden Boot race at this early stage of the season.
But it would also be remiss of the Catalan giants not to be thinking about what will come next.
Barça are not out of danger financially, but they have still shown in recent years the ability to take big deals off the stock market with careful remodeling: think Dani Olmo (60 million euros), Raphinha (58 million euros ), Jules Kounde (50 million euros). ) and even Lewandowski himself (45 million euros). Cheaper deals, whether free agents or those for whom smaller transfer fees could be negotiated, would obviously also have appeal.
Last season was notably Viktor Gyokeres’ first in a top-flight competition, having never made a Premier League appearance during four seasons with Brighton & Hove Albion. But he has gone from 21 goals in the EFL Championship to 29 in Portugal’s Primeira Liga and hasn’t looked back.
The late Swede, now 26, already has 23 goals to his name in all competitions this season and will break the 50-goal barrier if he keeps up his pace. The downside is the price, with Sporting likely to expect any suitors to trigger a €100m release clause.
If Barcelona can negotiate a staggered payment for a similar amount to avoid having to pay all in cash up front, as was the case with Olmo, it could be doable. But competence of closely linked clubs such as Manchester UnitedArsenal and Chelsea could be another obstacle.
Omar Marmoush recently he equaled a last feat achieved by Lionel Messi when he became the first player in a top 5 European league to score a direct free-kick in three consecutive games (all competitions) since the Camp Nou legend more than five years ago.
The Egypt international has made a name for himself with Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, and was brought to life by joining the club in 2023 on a free transfer following a rather underwhelming spell at previous Wolfsburg.
Frankfurt understands that selling Marmoush might be inevitable, but it will be necessary an offer of more than 40 million euros to let him go. They previously sold Randal Kolo Muani in 2023 for €90 million.
One of the best strikers who will be available without a transfer at the end of the season is Jonathan David. Lille are already resigned to losing the Canadian as a free agent, having been unable to agree a new contract and their existing deal coming to an end.
The 24-year-old has found the net consistently throughout his career so far in Belgian and French football, never scoring fewer than 12 league goals in any of his six full seasons and averaging 17 per campaign. In each of the last two seasons, he has scored 26 in all competitions and is on course to surpass that number, with 13 before the halfway point in 2024/25.
David has even scored a winning goal against Real Madrid, converting from the penalty spot in a Champions League win for Lille earlier this season.
There is a family link here, with Marcus Thuram’s father Lilian spending the last two seasons of his illustrious career at Camp Nou between 2006 and 2008. The French striker is now a recognized star in his own right own, enjoying a good debut season with Inter in 2023/24 and starts again in the early stages of 2024/25, with seven goals in 12 appearances in Serie A, so away.
Thuram was a Liverpool target under Jurgen Klopp and now he is he is rumored to be back on the radar of the Premier League leaders now that Arne Slot is in charge.
An €85 million release clause is strong, but not impossible, and more affordable than Gyokeres.
Samu Aghehowa has made his mark this season. The hard-hitting striker recently besieged Manchester United when Porto took on the English side in the Europa League, having joined from Atletico Madrid in the summer for just €15m.
That was after a deal with Chelsea worth almost three times as much collapsed, but that hasn’t stopped Samu from thriving in what is only his second season in top-flight football. The 20-year-old has even joined Luis de la Fuente’s Spanish squad.
Aghehowa has a release clause of €100 million, which can still be considered good value given his age and long-term potential. However, Atlético Madrid retain a 50% sell-on clause, which Porto can pay to reduce, but seriously limits the degree to which they would be willing to negotiate.
Although he is not a direct replacement for Lewandowski in terms of position on the pitch, Mohamed Salah could certainly replace the goals that would be missed. The two could actually end up playing together because Salah’s availability window is next summer if he doesn’t sign a new contract with Liverpool and Lewandowski is not expected to leave Barcelona anytime soon.
Salah, 33 in June, isn’t a long-term solution either, but Lewandowski was about to turn 34 when he switched from Bayern Munich and hasn’t exactly been a bad deal for Barca.
The Egyptian superstar, famous for his dedication to staying in peak physical condition, could theoretically take up Lewandowski’s mantle and carry it for a few more years. Liverpool boss Slot has already suggested he will play into his thirties like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.
