Barcelona could be looking to let Robert Lewandowski leave for free as they have not received a contract offer for the Poland international, raising the possibility that Marcus Rashford will stay.
Barcelona are prepared to allow Robert Lewandowski to leave for free when his contract expires next summer, increasing their desire to keep Marcus Rashford at the club.
The Spanish giants are in the early stages of retaining their La Liga crown and have made a great start to the season, but plans are already being made for next term. Apparently, this has something to do with their shocking decision to let go of their lead gunner.
Lewandowski, now 37, joined Barcelona from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022 in a deal worth £42.5 million. He has been an integral part of the club’s recent success, scoring 105 goals in 156 appearances, but the club’s leaders have no intention of offering him a new contract.
Catalan newspaper Sport do not believe Lewandowski is still able to press with the required intensity and claim that his decline has begun. That’s despite the Polish player having scored four goals in La Liga so far this season in just three starts.
Lewandowski’s salary is also thought to be an issue for the club, which has struggled with financial issues and penalties in recent days. The Polish player remains the top earner and club manager Deco insisted earlier this year that he had no intention of negotiating a contract.
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The sporting director said: “We are not going to talk about renewing his contract in October. We are proceeding step by step. He (Lewandowski) is one of the best strikers in recent years, a top-level player. He has helped us a lot. He has scored more than 40 goals, but we will analyze that. The time has come to talk about the return of the injured player.”
The situation means Rashford’s dream move to the Manchester United outcast, who is currently on loan in Spain, could become permanent. He instantly showed what he’s capable of, scoring a stunning brace in the Champions League win over Newcastle.
Ruben Amorim remains in Manchester, which is itself a subject of debate, but Rashford seems set in stone. Barcelona’s bigwigs are impressed with the 27-year-old’s work ethic and talent. They can sign him permanently at the end of the season for an initial fee of £25m plus an additional £5m.
Rashford joins Hansi Flick’s attacking line-up, which already included Raphinha and Lamine Yamal, who recently narrowly missed out on the Ballon d’Or. Dani Olmo is another of Barcelona’s talents, who were only denied a treble last season by losing to Inter Milan in the Champions League semi-finals.
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