Mundo Deportivo reports that Barcelona officials have identified Victor Osimhen as the ideal replacement for Robert Lewandowski at center forward. However, signing the Nigerian star seems unlikely for the Catalan club.
It is now certain that Lewandowski will leave Barcelona once his contract expires next summer due to his age and recent injury problems. The Barça management has already begun searching for a new striker to lead the team after the Polish striker’s four-year tenure.
In recent days, according to Mundo Deportivo, Osimhen’s name has frequently surfaced in Barcelona’s offices. The Galatasaray star is highly admired by Barcelona officials, but the obstacle to signing him remains his exorbitant transfer fee, which Joan Laporta’s administration cannot currently afford.
Osimhen joined Galatasaray last summer in the biggest transfer in Turkish football history, for €75 million from Napoli. The Istanbul giants will not accept less than that amount to agree to the departure of the player, whose contract runs until the summer of 2029.
Despite recognizing the difficulty of the deal, Barcelona has not given up. Osimhen will only be their first choice this summer if they sell one of their star players and then generate funds. In that case, signing the former Napoli striker would be the priority, rather than pursuing a young striker and taking a risk.
Osimhen boasts phenomenal statistics in Turkey, having played 50 matches for Galatasaray so far, scoring 43 goals and providing 8 assists. His previous stints at Napoli and Lille were no less successful, culminating in winning the Italian league title for the first time in a long while with the southern Italian club.
