Barcelona have one of the best strikers in the world in Robert Lewandowski, but because he is 36 years old and one of the club’s top wage earners at over 30 million euros per season, the Blaugrana have quietly been trying to find ways to replace him.
Lewandowski is, at least, still an asset to Hansi Flick’s elite attack, scoring four goals with two assists in the 2024/25 LaLiga season thus far. Although he was a record-breaking goal-scorer for Bayern Munich, Lewandowski is legitimately one of the best all-around No. 9’s in the world.
According to a report from Diario Sport, Barcelona have three talented strikers on their transfer wishlist going into the 2025 markets. Unsurprisingly, Joan Laporta’s dream counterweight to Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe, Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland, tops the list.
Barcelona are also interested in Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres, strongly linked to Arsenal, and Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig. Sesko was wanted by the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea as a top option this past summer, but he ultimately chose to stay with Lois Openda in Leipzig for the 2024/25 season.
Although Barcelona could benefit from signing any of those three strikers, Man City’s record-breaking Haaland is clearly the dream choice, though some fans will wonder if he is just a pipe dream sold to them by Laporta. He’s done it before.
There is reason to believe Barcelona have a legitimate shot at Haaland. They can save up money for him, and they are in a desirable location. Haaland wanted to play in LaLiga and still indicates he wants to later, even if he’s absolutely crushing it for Man City, the club of his father.
Before joining Man City, Haaland purchased property in Marbella, and he was flirting with Real Madrid and Barcelona. But Real Madrid put all their eggs in the Mbappe basket, while Barca did not have any financial wiggle room for his wages and bonuses at the time.
Sesko is not a bad alternative by any means. He’s a prolific finisher, one of the best young strikers in Europe, and another proud RB Salzburg grad. He’d also be significantly cheaper, but perhaps not enough for Barcelona to justify signing him instead of Haaland if they end up having the financial means to bring in the Norwegian icon.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other major outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.