Lamine Yamal has reportedly made it clear to Barcelona bosses that he wants Robert Lewandowski to remain at the club beyond the end of the season. Despite fresh speculation regarding supposed interest in Erling Haaland and Harry Kane surfacing, teenage wonderkid Yamal is hoping to see a prolific Polish No.9 handed an extension to his expiring contract in Catalunya.
Lewandowski, who is now 37 years of age, has not been a guaranteed starter for Barca this season – with Ferran Torres often being asked to lead the line. He did, however, net a hat-trick in his latest appearance, as Celta Vigo were swept aside 4-2, and found the target on 42 occasions across all competitions last term.
Yamal is said to be of the opinion that the presence of Lewandowski makes life easier for him, with opponents paying less attention to the obvious threat that he poses on the flanks. Rivals are aware of the need to try and contain one of the finest strikers of his generation, meaning that Yamal gets more time and space in which to do his thing.
Lewandowski helps to pin defences back, allowing Yamal to receive more passes and impact proceedings in the final third. According to El Nacional, the relationship between two players at opposing ends of their respective careers has “strengthened both on and off the field”. Yamal is said to view ex-Bayern Munich star Lewandowski as “a mentor”, with there a productive understanding between the pair as they look to pose problems to La Liga and Champions League opponents.
Yamal now wants to see Lewandowski remain in his current surroundings beyond the summer of 2027, when free agency is set to be reached. He is said to be of the opinion that there is nobody “better suited to continue fostering his development” while providing much-needed leadership.
Lewandowski believes that he still has more to offer at Barca, telling ESPN of his hopes for the immediate future: “It doesn’t matter how many titles you have already won. The most important thing is how many titles you want to win. In my mind I know that I can improve again so many things.
“I love football, I love this team, I love this club. I still feel physically very well. I don’t have any problem with this [age] because I don’t feel it. I’m proud that I’m going to be 37 years old. But I still know that I can achieve my goals. I can help my team-mates because I’m still hungry for more.”
There has, however, been talk of Barcelona lining up moves for another No.9. Norwegian frontman Haaland, who is under contract at Manchester City until 2034, is a long-standing target. It has also been revealed that England captain Harry Kane has exit clauses in his contract at Bayern Munich that can be triggered at around £57 million ($75m) in 2026.
Ex-Bayern star Dietmar Hamann told GOAL recently when asked if Kane could become a stopgap for Barca as they wait on a window of opportunity in which to snap up Haaland: “Obviously they find it hard to register players, so I’m not sure they’d be able to register Haaland. But then again, this is probably a few years away.
“But Lewandowski went there, and I didn’t think he’d score the goals he did. I think the Bundesliga is the closest to the Premier League when it comes to physicality. Once you’re past 30, I reckon you probably find it a bit easier to score goals in Spain than you do in Germany or certainly in England. So that’s certainly something I can see.
“And if it were to be a stopgap, obviously it’s a good stopgap because we know the record of Harry Kane. And with all the financial issues they’ve got, they’ve got three or four years to sort that out if they want to try to get Haaland to Barcelona. So, it’s certainly something I can see, yes.”
It remains to be seen what approach Barca take when it comes to the focal point of their attack. Will they listen to Yamal and enter into contract extension talks with Lewandowski, or move in a different direction as another proven target man is approached?
