The now 37-year-old has been a remarkable success for Barcelona since he joined from Bayern Munich back in the summer of 2022, scoring 109 goals in his 165 games across all competitions for the Catalan giants.
Yet, as he reaches the twilight of his career, and with his hefty contract set to expire at the end of the season, Lewandowski and Barcelona look set to part ways, undoubtedly leaving a huge void that needs to be filled by Hansi Flick’s side.
Barcelona’s financial situation isn’t as bad as it once was, they’ve pulled enough levers to relieve some of the pressure, but don’t be expecting them to go and splash €200 million on Erling Haaland. Sorry to burst the bubble of any hopeful fans reading this.
So, here are five potential Lewandowski successors Barcelona should be looking at.
5. Franculino - FC Midtjylland
A slightly lesser-known striker as our first option to replace the legendary Pole, Franculino has been absolutely ripping it up in the Danish Superligaen so far this season, scoring 16 goals and providing three assists in his 17 starts.
Currently expected to be out until March due to injury, the 21-year-old has caught the attention of some of Europe’s biggest clubs. Bayern Munich and Tottenham have both been heavily linked with a move, and it’s starting to feel like only a matter of time until he leaves FC Midtjylland for the bright lights.
He’s a remarkably clinical striker, with his 16 goals coming from just 25 shots on target and a non-penalty xG of 9.67, meaning he has scored nearly double the number of goals than he should have.
Of course, there will be question marks over whether that fine form would translate to a tougher league and one of the biggest clubs in the world but compared to a lot of strikers in the current market, Franculino would be a cheaper, low-risk alternative.
4. Samu Aghehowa - FC Porto
Now, we all know to be wary of strikers that are ripping it up in Portugal, just ask Mikel Arteta about Viktor Gyokeres, or Jurgen Klopp about Darwin Nunez, the list goes on and on, but La Liga isn’t the Premier League, and that transition should be a little kinder.
Another youngster, Aghehowa, 21, has had a really impressive start to the season at Porto, with 11 goals and one assist in his 15 league games as Francesco Farioli’s side look set to run away with the Liga Portugal title.
The fact that he’s a Spain international would also do him a lot of favours. He has experience playing with several of Barcelona’s current stars as well as time served in La Liga with Deportivo Alaves, where he scored eight in 35.
His price tag might be a bit of an issue though. With Porto reportedly looking for €80 million to sell the striker, that fee may represent a bit too much risk for a club that are trying to adhere to La Liga’s 1:1 rule.
3. Ferran Torres - Barcelona
OK, hear us out, what if Barcelona didn’t sign anyone? It may not be a particularly popular decision with fans who crave the dopamine hit of a new striker, but putting the club’s financial health first may be the right thing to do, at least for now.
It’s not like Torres, 25, has been poor for Barcelona, especially this season. The former Man City man has primarily played as a striker for Flick this season, and has a great record, with 11 goals in 17 La Liga games, 13 of which have been starts.
Barcelona will be competing with almost every other big club in Europe to sign a striker in the summer, simply because most of them signed by Premier League sides last time out have been failures.
With the lack of current superstar options, sticking with Torres for another season would allow the club to get on a better footing to snap up that next player, who could lead the club back to their golden years.
2. Julian Alvarez - Atletico Madrid
The striker that has been most heavily linked with a move to Barcelona is undoubtedly Alvarez. Currently with La Liga rivals Atletico Madrid, any potential deal would likely rival the one that took Antoine Griezmann to the Camp Nou back in 2019.
Alvarez’s quality is undeniable, but he hasn’t been at his best so far this season, with just seven goals and three assists in his 18 La Liga games. Still Diego Simeone doesn’t want to part ways, calling him Atletico’s best player after the 25-year-old scored a hat-trick in a 3-2 league win against Rayo Vallecano in September.
Unlike Lewandowski, who’s game is defined by intelligent positional play and subtle off the ball movements, Alvarez offers a lot more energy, contributing more to the wider game than being a focal point or goal threat.
This is a ‘if money were no object’ kind of signing, though. Atletico would demand upwards of €100 million to sell Alvarez, especially to a domestic rival. Perhaps something will happen between now and the summer, just limit your expectations.
1. Harry Kane – Bayern Munich
Arguably the best striker in the world at the moment, it feels absurd that Bayern would be willing to let him leave, but there have been several reports since the start of the season that the Bundesliga giants wouldn’t be against it.
The Bayern-Barcelona pipeline has been tried and tested with Lewandowski, why not go the same route for Kane, 32? The England captain is a different kind of profile, he drops deeper to get involved with playmaking a bit more, but 19 goals in 15 league games record speaks for itself.
Again, like Lewandowski, he would be joining with a tonne of experience. Kane may only be with Barcelona for a few seasons, although he shows no signs of letting up any time soon, but there would be guaranteed goals, and that’s why he would be our pick to replace Lewandowski.