Robert Lewandowski has admitted that he doesn’t see himself playing beyond the next two or three seasons at most, revealing that he wants to retire on his terms when the time is right.

For now, the veteran Polish striker is still banging in the goals for Barcelona and is leading the European Golden Shoe race at this early stage of the season.

But it would also be remiss of the Catalan giants not to already be considering what comes next.

Barca aren’t out of the woods financially but have still shown in recent years an ability to pull big deals out of the bag with some carefully reshuffling – think Dani Olmo (€60m), Raphinha (€58m), Jules Kounde (€50m) and even Lewandowski (€45m) himself. Cheaper deals, either free agents, or those for whom smaller transfer fees could be negotiated would obviously still have appeal too.

Last season was remarkably Viktor Gyokeres’ first in a top flight competition, having never made a Premier League appearance during four seasons with Brighton & Hove Albion. But he went from 21 goals in the EFL Championship to 29 in Portugal’s Primeira Liga and hasn’t looked back.

The late blooming Swede, now 26 years of age, already has 23 goals to his name in all competitions this season and will smash through the 50-goal barrier if he keeps up this pace. The downside is price, with Sporting likely to expect any suitor to trigger a €100m release clause.

If Barcelona can negotiate a staggered payment for a similar amount to avoid having to pay it all in cash up front, as was the case with Olmo, it might be feasible. But competition from heavily linked clubs like Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea could be another obstacle.

Omar Marmoush recently matched a feat last achieved by Lionel Messi when he became the first player from a top five European league to score a direct free-kick in three successive games (all competitions) since the Camp Nou legend more than five years.

The Egypt international has been making his name with Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga, bursting into life upon joining the club in 2023 on a free transfer that followed a quite underwhelming spell at previous side Wolfsburg.

Frankfurt understand that selling Marmoush might be unavoidable but it will take an offer greater than €40m to let him go. They previously sold Randal Kolo Muani in 2023 for €90m.

One top striker who will be available without a transfer fee at the end of the season is Jonathan David. Lille are already resigned to losing the Canadian as a free agent, having been unable to agree a new contract and his existing deal nearing its conclusion.

The 24-year-old has found the net consistently throughout his career to date across Belgian and French football, never scoring fewer than 12 league goals in any of his six full seasons, and averaging just shy of 17 in per campaign. In each of the last two seasons, he’s netted 26 across all competitions and is already on course to surpass that tally, with 13 before the halfway stage of 2024/25.

David has even scored a winning goal against Real Madrid, converting from the penalty spot in a Champions League victory for Lille earlier this season.

There is a family connection here, with Marcus Thuram’s father, Lilian, spending the final two seasons of his illustrious career at Camp Nou between 2006 and 2008. The French striker is now a recognised star in his own right, enjoying a strong debut season with Inter in 2023/24 and kicking on again in the early stages of 2024/25, with seven goals in 12 Serie A appearances so far.

Thuram was a reported Liverpool target under the management of Jurgen Klopp and is now rumoured to be back on the Premier League leaders’ radar now that Arne Slot is in charge.

A release clause of €85m is steep, but not impossible, and more affordable than Gyokeres.

Samu Aghehowa has certainly made his mark this season. The bruising striker recently bullied Manchester United when Porto faced the English side in the Europa League, having made the move from Atletico Madrid during the summer for as little as €15m.

That was after a Chelsea deal worth almost three times as much had collapsed, but it hasn’t stopped Samu from thriving in what is only his second season in senior top flight football. The 20-year-old has even played his way into Luis de la Fuente’s Spain squad.

Aghehowa has a €100m release clause, which may still be considered good value given his age and long-term potential. However, Atletico Madrid retain a 50% sell-on clause, which Porto can pay to reduce, but seriously limits the extent to which they would be willing to negotiate.

While not a direct replacement for Lewandowski in terms of position on the pitch, Mohamed Salah could certainly replace the goals that would be lost. In reality, the two could end up playing together due to Salah’s window of availability being the coming summer if he doesn’t sign a new Liverpool contract and Lewandowski not expected to leave Barcelona quite that soon.

Salah, 33 in June, isn’t a long-term solution either, but Lewandowski was about to turn 34 when he made the switch from Bayern Munich and it hasn’t exactly been a bad deal for Barca.

The Egyptian superstar, who is famed for his dedication to staying in peak physical condition, could theoretically pick up Lewandowski’s mantle and carry it a few more years. Liverpool boss Slot has already suggested he will play on until his late thirties like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.

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