For FC Barcelona, one of the priorities should be to find a worthy successor to Robert Lewandowski. The Polish striker has 1.5 years left on his contract. Therefore, at this point, someone who accepts the role of a temporary substitute will be more useful. But there is a problem with finding such a player.
Barcelona lets go of the Ligue 1 star
Back in November, Spanish media reported that Jonathan David was at the top of Barcelona's wish list. The Canadian has been a Lille player since 2020. He was instrumental in winning the French championship in 2022, scoring 15 goals in the season. This season is also successful for the 24-year-old. He scored 17 goals in 26 games in all competitions and added five assists. Lille is in the game for the league podium and direct advancement to the 1/8 finals of the Champions League.
Barcelona paid attention to David after he said that he dreamed of playing in the Catalan capital. His contract with the French club expires at the end of this season, so the prospect of a free transfer seemed even more tempting. A series of analyzes of the footballer's play were made. However, Spanish newspapers report that doubts arose after reading the relevant reports.
According to “Mundo Deportivo” Blaugrana's scouting is not convinced that the Canadian will reach the expected level after the potential transfer. In addition, his profile does not fit the team's playing style. Moreover, scouts have a hard time imagining him taking on the role of substitute for Lewandowski, even for a short time. The Pole is in a strong enough position not to be forced out of the squad until the end of the contract. That's why Barcelona has to let go of the potential transfer of David.
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So they have a problem in the “Pride of Catalonia”. There is no good successor for Lewandowski at the moment. It is true that Pau Victor is in the squad, but the 23-year-old gets a maximum of a dozen or so minutes to play in the match and is not able to show much. More often, Hansi Flick uses Ferran Torres, who is not a nominal number nine, but still brings quality and learns from Lewandowski how to play this position appropriately.
Barcelona is also monitoring the development of Vitor Roque at Betis, to which he was loaned for two seasons. The young Brazilian made a good start to the Blaugrana at the beginning of the year, but from April he was sidelined by Xavi. He didn't recover in the preseason, so he went on loan. Betis doesn't have great statistics – six goals and two assists in 23 matches are not staggering numbers.
It will most likely end with a further search for a new striker. Barcelona does not expect any transfer moves in the winter window, it intends to launch an offensive in the summer. Then it should return to the 1:1 rule as part of La Liga's financial fair play, i.e. as much as it earns, it can spend on new players. The situation will become clearer when the issue of Dani Olmo's registration for the second part of the season is resolved. According to Spanish newspapers, Joan Laporta found adequate financial resources to register and return to the mentioned principle.