Barcelona: Best Robert Lewandowski replacements with Flick ‘in love’ with £150m Arsenal target
Robert Lewandowski is still in quite excellent form at the grand old age of 36, but he surely cannot go on forever; let’s talk Barcelona striker targets.
The Pole has a superb 31 goals in 33 matches – including four Champions League braces – in 2024/25.
Hansi Flick knows how to bring the best out of Lewandowski and did so at Bayern Munich too. Overall, the Polish goal machine has scored an outrageous 114 times in 104 games under the ex-Germany manager.
Lewandowski’s next club goal will be his 600th and he is likely aiming to reach 700, but Barcelona should be aiming to replace the legendary striker with a younger star.
Who are the best candidates for cash-strapped Barca, then? Well, we have ranked the top 10, without getting too silly like saying Erling Haaland should be their top target. We will still act a little bit silly, mind. Financial levers will be required for a few…
Who should replace Robert Lewandowski at Barcelona?
10) Darwin Nunez (Liverpool)
Not the classic tiki-taka striker Barcelona fans have grown to know and love, but Darwin Nunez is a curious footballer and someone we believe has the potential to explode at a different club.
A move to Barca would either work out spectacularly well or flop more than anything has ever flopped before – there would absolutely, unequivocally, be no in-between.
It has not worked out for Darwin at Liverpool but he remains a fan favourite and a player the supporters are passionately backing to come good. The 25-year-old has been at Anfield for two-and-a-half years now but the word ‘raw’ remains synonymous with him, which is far from ideal.
Are Barcelona what he needs to fulfil his potential? Probably not. Are Barcelona a club we would love to see him play for? Yes. A thousand times yes.
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9) Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen)
Although it was for Saudi Arabian riches, Victor Boniface has shown he is open to leaving Bayer Leverkusen. His and Leverkusen’s cards will be on the table during negotiations if another club initiates contact, with the German champions reportedly accepting a £46million bid from Al Nassr last month.
That is a pretty modest fee for the calibre of player you are getting in Boniface and the January window uncertainty could carry over into the 2025 summer transfer window, with Barcelona among the clubs expected to pursue a new No. 9.
8) Viktor Gyokeres (Sporting)
The goalscoring record of Sweden and Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres says all you need to know really. After scoring 43 goals and making 15 assists in 2023/24, Gyokeres has 34 goals and seven assists in 2024/25.
Sporting will want a pretty penny for Gyokeres and Barcelona will surely be having a look, as will Manchester United.
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7) Goncalo Ramos (Paris Saint-Germain)
There is plenty of untapped potential in Goncalo Ramos, who has struggled since joining PSG from Benfica for big money in the 2023/24 season.
The Portuguese international scored a respectable 11 goals in 29 Ligue 1 matches in his first year at PSG but drew blank after blank in Europe, eventually scoring his first Champions League goal for the Parisiens against RB Salzburg last December. He backed that up with a crucial strike against Manchester City last month.
Although he has only been at PSG for a short time, Ramos looks like he would benefit from a move elsewhere, but the obvious stumbling block for Barca is the potential asking price. There is no doubting Ramos’ potential, though.
6) Mateo Retegui (Atalanta)
Perhaps a wildcard in the eyes of many, Italian striker Mateo Retegui has been in fine form for Atalanta this campaign, scoring 20 goals in 22 Serie A appearances.
It is the 25-year-old’s first season playing for Atalanta, having spent one year with Genoa following a transfer from Argentine outfit Tigre in July 2023.
Retegui was born in Argentina but has six goals in 18 appearances for the Italian national team after representing his country of birth at Under-19 level.
Atalanta will want a tidy fee for Retegui if clubs come knocking in the summer transfer window, which we suspect will be the case. He would fit in nicely at Barcelona, though that is easier said than done; it is a club very capable of ruining world-class footballers, which Retegui is not just yet. Sometimes it takes a move to a Barcelona, Real Madrid or even Chelsea or PSG for someone to realise their potential, and that could be what takes Retegui to the next level.
5) Alexander Isak (Newcastle United)
Clearly, the chances of Barcelona being able to afford Alexander Isak are slim at best and would probably put them out of business, but we have one word for you: levers.
Yes, if replacing Lewandowski is one of Barca’s priorities in the summer, they will have to pull some of those bloody levers, though it might be one lever too many if Newcastle talisman is their top target.
The Magpies are expected to demand over £120million for the Swedish international and interested clubs – including Arsenal – will pray Eddie Howe’s side miss out on Champions League qualification, as that could see Isak push to leave. If they do qualify for Europe’s premier competition, there is very little chance Isak will want to leave and Newcastle will be in a stronger PSR position, with the Premier League’s financial rules the main reason for Isak, Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon being linked with transfers away from St James’ Park.
Isak is one of the deadliest strikers in Europe, yet scoring goals is far from all he offers. His overall play is outstanding, as recently displayed in his dominant attacking performance against Arsenal and William Saliba in the Carabao Cup semi-final.
It is Arsenal being fiercely linked with Isak as Mikel Arteta cries out for a new centre-forward, but they will have to pay a club-record fee to land him. If you want to win the Premier League and Champions League, that is the sort of sacrifice you have to make. Barcelona would have to sacrifice a lot for Isak but Hansi Flick is reportedly ‘in love’ with the guy. What would you sacrifice for love?
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4) Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
There is a hint of irony given Harry Kane is the only player here above the age of 30, but he is significantly five years Lewandowski’s junior. Not only is Kane younger, but he is better.
The England captain reportedly has a £65m release clause in his Bayern contract that will become active this summer. That will tickle the fancy of plenty, though Tottenham do get first dibs on him. If Kane wins a first career trophy this season, even if it is a German Cup, he might be more than happy to end his Bayern adventure and go back to hopelessly wasting his world-class talent at a club allergic to winning things.
Barcelona are a club that pride themselves on winning the biggest honours and the opportunity to follow in Gary Lineker’s footsteps could present itself when that release clause is valid. From Kane’s point of view, why not move to Barcelona?
3) Victor Osimhen (Napoli)
There is no question over the summer availability of Victor Osimhen, which makes him a very interesting proposition for several European giants, not least Barcelona.
It is unclear how much Napoli want for Osimhen, who is spending 2024/25 in Turkey with Galatasaray. Before the 2024 summer transfer window, it appeared that the Nigerian’s asking price was above £100m but a lot has changed since then. He seems to have burned all of his bridges in Naples and is destined for a permanent exit at the end of the season, with Antonio Conte happy with Romelu Lukaku as his main man up front.
There should be clubs queuing up to sign Osimhen but we thought the same last summer. Barca will likely explore a deal, so he is one to keep an eye on.
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2) Benjamin Sesko (RB Leipzig)
Benjamin Sesko is another striker likely to be on the move at the end of the season and Barcelona would be very silly not to put their name in the conversation.
He is another player being strongly linked with a move to striker-hunting Arsenal and is available for significantly less than Isak, making him more desirable and crucially more attainable.
Sesko is only 21 years old yet looks the finished product. There appears to be no weaknesses in his game and he is clearly ready to make the step up from Leipzig to a true European juggernaut. Barcelona will surely be in the race for his signature but it hard to look past the Slovenian ending up at the Emirates.
Regardless of Arsenal’s interest, we think Sesko is a perfect heir to Lewandowski’s throne at the Nou Camp and has the potential and time to become a true club legend. It’s a big ask but he looks like the real deal.
1) Jonathan David (Lille)
This player is right up Barcelona’s street. He is free, proven in a top five league, free, proven in the Champions League, free, experienced, and did we mention that he is available on a free?
We might have quickly given this away, but Jonathan David’s contract situation at Lille is quite important in our thinking. It makes perfect sense, which is why we are very confident Barcelona won’t sign him – this is a club renowned for making very questionable decisions.
The Blaugrana’s recent track record of signing players on free transfers does indicate that common sense will prevail in this situation, however.
David has been linked with a transfer away from Lille in every single transfer window presumably since the first day he kicked a football. For one reason or another, it has never happened.
The 25-year-old has 20 goals and nine assists in 35 matches this season, including six in eight in the Champions League. He is a prolific, proven goalscorer who is consistently being overlooked by top clubs. Barcelona and their forced stinginess makes him the perfect signing, even if free agents traditionally ask for huge salaries.
Not only is he the perfect player, but This Is Futbol Club Barcelona We Are Talking About – it would be a dream move for David.
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