Barcelona are lining up a new contract for Robert Lewandowski — not as a starter, but as a 90th-minute problem for opposition defences. Think Cristhian Stuani at Girona. That's the model. That's the pitch.
It's a significant shift for a player who arrived at Camp Nou as a headline act, but the logic isn't entirely wrong. Stuani, who turns 39 this year, has racked up 44 goal contributions in the last 3.5 years while averaging just 95 minutes per contribution. Four goals in 291 minutes this season alone. If Lewandowski — two years younger — can offer something close to that off the bench, there's a case for keeping him around. Especially on a reduced wage.
The Ferran Torres problem
Here's the catch. With Julian Alvarez reportedly a summer target and Lewandowski now set to stay, Barcelona's forward line is getting crowded. And Ferran Torres is the one left without a chair.
Torres has been available almost every window since joining. He's rejected every move, preferring to stay and fight for minutes — and to his credit, he's shown he can score goals and cover for Lewandowski when needed. But Hansi Flick's decision to keep backing Lewandowski through a rough patch, publicly and tactically, has reportedly not gone down well with Torres. That kind of friction doesn't disappear with summer reshuffles.
Laporta, freshly re-elected, has said he supports re-signing Lewandowski but is leaving the final call to sporting director Deco. Cadena SER report the offer will come with a wage cut attached — which is reasonable given his role would be fundamentally different from the one he was bought to fill.
What this means in practice
Lewandowski turns 38 in August. Before his brace against Newcastle, he'd scored twice in ten appearances — a run that had Chicago Fire, Saudi clubs and Serie A sides all making their interest known. The fact that Barcelona are moving to tie him down anyway tells you something about the trust Flick still places in him, even in a diminished capacity.
Whether Torres accepts a further slide down the pecking order — or finally takes one of the exits he's been offered for years — is the real question this summer. His odds of staying at Barcelona in any meaningful role are getting shorter by the week.
