Barcelona have had a rocky start to the 2025/26 season as they suffered consecutive defeats against PSG and Sevilla right before the international break in October.
The Blaugrana won the domestic treble last season under Hansi Flick and therefore expectations are extremely high.
Apart from their issues in recent matches, Barcelona are also not looking to extend Robert Lewandowski's contract as they feel he is way past his prime.
Lewandowski's current contract is expiring next summer, and Barcelona do have an option to extend his contract by another year but the La Liga giants are reportedly not interested in him anymore.
The 37-year-old received a lot of flak from the Barcelona fans after he missed a crucial penalty against Sevilla where he eventually suffered a 4-1 humbling at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
However, Lewandowski has moved past that disappointment and scored a goal in Poland's 2-0 win over Lithuania in their World Cup qualifier.
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After the match, the veteran striker delivered a message that looks like it is fired at Barcelona's management especially over the rumours of them not extending his contract.
"I’m not saying I’m a "victim" of my age, but… there are those who exploit that. I feel in excellent condition!”. “I don’t expect to play 90 every match, and my view of football has changed a little, but when I’m on the field I know I can do great," Lewandowski said as quoted by Fabrizio Romano.
How did Lewandowski's agent react to Barcelona reports?
Lewandowski moved to Barcelona in July 2022 after his contract with Bayern Munich expired. Since then, the Polish marksman has been scoring goals at a consistent rate with 105 goals in 156 games for Blaugrana.
He won the Pichichi Trophy for his exceptional goalscoring exploits in 2022/23 season and has been included in the La Liga team of the season for each of the three campaigns.
However, with his age and expiring contract, Barcelona are reportedly not interested in him beyond next summer as they have reportedly started their succession planning.
Recently Lewandowski's agent Pini Zahavi has spoken out on his client's future at Barcelona. "Lewandowski's contract with Barcelona expires in the summer of 2026 and no decisions have been made yet. We have to wait and see what happens in the next few days," Zahavi told SPORT.
"There is nothing official regarding negotiations with the Saudi teams. There are no offers at this time," Zahavi shared when asked about interest from Saudi Pro League clubs.
According to Capology, Lewandowski is Barcelona's highest paid player with €400,577 a week salary and therefore, releasing him from the roster would open up a major chunk of the wage bill for new signings.
Overall, it is interesting to see where Lewandowski ends up after this season but given his goalscoring record for club and country, he could still be an asset for many teams even at this age.
Barcelona news and related links
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- Why Barcelona run the risk of missing star player for El Clasico?
- Barcelona could sign one of three strikers after surprise Lewandowski ‘decision’