Robert Lewandowski will leave the club this summer, bringing his four-year tenure to an end. While he departs as a free agent, the split is far from a total loss for FC Barcelona.
The forward’s exit frees up over €24 million in the wage bill. This will be critical in bringing in new players, or keeping existing ones.
Barça had extended an offer a month ago that included cutting his salary in half alongside performance-based bonuses. Reports say that Barcelona offered a salary that was as good as most
he could have gotten in Europe – though his next chapter could be in Saudi Arabia.
Regardless, his exit leaves the club in much better shape when it comes to FFP. If the club manages to return to La Liga’s 1:1 spending rule by late June, that €24 million can be reinvested directly into a world-class striker. Combined with Marc-André ter Stegen’s departure, which frees up nearly another €20 million, Barça finally has some financial breathing room.
The immediate domino effect lands on Ferran Torres. Barça had paused negotiations with the forward, whose contract runs until 2027, while waiting for the Polish striker to make up his mind. With Lewandoski leaving, Torres’s place in the squad is secure.
With Lewandowski out, Barcelona can aggressively pursue his replacement. It’s an open secret that the top target is Atlético Madrid’s Julián Álvarez. But the list is long and includes Borussia Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy and Chelsea’s Joao Pedro. Currently, the striker market is thin – leading to inflated prices.
Which brings us to Marcus Rashford. His future is still up in the air due to his €18 million net salary, which Barça previously deemed completely unsustainable. However, Joan Laporta and Deco have been trying to work out a deal with Manchester United to extend his loan for another season. For their part, United are not keen on another loan. His transfer price is seen as a bargain for a forward these days, but his salary could still be problematic for the Catalans.
And there may yet still be departures on the horizon. For one, Marc Casadó has struggled to cement his place this season, falling behind a resurgent Marc Bernal, who bounced back strongly from a severe knee injury. And Ronald Araújo’s status has plummeted. Despite holding the captain’s armband after Ter Stegen’s initial loan move to Girona, Araújo has slipped down the defensive pecking order behind Pau Cubarsí, Eric García, and Gerard Martín.
