Barcelona have enjoyed their fair share of success in recent years, especially when you consider the financial difficulties they have had to deal with. Yet, it feels like a transitional period for the club as well.
There are some key figures whose time at the club might be coming to an end pretty soon. One of them is Polish icon Robert Lewandowski, who joined Barca in 2022.
One could argue that his stint in Barcelona has already been longer than a lot of people had anticipated. At 37 years of age, he remains a key player for the La Liga giants and is expected to remain so for the fourth-straight season.
After that, Barcelona might look elsewhere though. While Lewandowski remains a phenomenal goalscorer, there are concerns around his fitness and sooner or later, Father Time is going to catch up to him. Perhaps it has already started to do so.
According to SPORT, in Poland, it’s becoming clear that Barcelona won’t open the door to him spending a fifth year at the club, even though the striker would like to stay. The forward’s priority would be to stay in Europe, where he has interest from several clubs. AC Milan’s name has come up, and they are also suggesting Atletico Madrid, as Diego Simeone values the player highly, especially if he can arrive on a free transfer.
Lewandowski linked with move to Atletico Madrid with Barcelona exit close
Atletico Madrid are no strangers to sign Barcelona legends later on in their careers. David Villa and Luis Suarez come to mind immediately.
Other than that, Fernando Torres is another high-profile name Atletico Madrid gave a home to later in his career, even though it was pretty clear that he was well past his prime at that point.
Could Lewandowski be the next name on that list? He is still a world-class goalscorer but his load might need to be managed if he is to extend his career at the top level for a few more years. Atletico Madrid clearly know how to get the best out of veteran strikers, so it might be the right step for him.
Avradeep Mukherjee