At 37, Robert Lewandowski continues to perform strongly for Barcelona in attack, with his form especially improving after his return from injury. However, his contract stands to expire at the end of the season, and as things stand, everything indicates that the Blaugrana do not plan on offering a renewal to the Poland captain. In fact, the search for a replacement is already underway, with Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez seen as the dream target, although signing him will be a near-impossible mission.
"My dream was to play for Barcelona when I was young, and I realised that dream, I'm a fan of the club," he said. "Since retirement, I've kept friends there, I have a house there. "The club needed a change, a rebuild, and I wanted to help from the outside. It was not my idea to become sporting director. After his election, the president always said to me: 'You need to become sporting director.'"
It has not been an easy week for FC Barcelona. Following their triumphant return to the Spotify Camp Nou, the team was handed a strong reality check by Chelsea as they were beaten 3-0 at Stamford Bridge in the UEFA Champions League. The performance of the entire team left a lot to be desired that night in London. And while the Catalans were able to bounce back from that with a 3-1 win over Alaves in La Liga on Saturday,
It is no secret that FC Barcelona are always on the lookout for up-and-coming young talents in Brazil. While their last signing from the region, Vitor Roque, did not work out, the Catalans continue to monitor players bursting onto the scene at a young age in the South American nation. Souza on Barcelona's radar In that regard, AS reports that Joao Victor de Souza of Santos has popped up on the radar of Barcelona.
"It's a natural step. My father was a board member, I was a futsal player and then a board member under the last three presidents (Laporta, Rosell, and Bartomeu) with responsibilities in futsal, youth development, La Masia, and the women's team. "That's 21 years linked to the club, which leaves a huge mark on you." The pre-candidate defined his project as the result of "knowledge, experience, and passion" for an institution that, in his view, "is not the Barça we want today."
Tuesday night saw FC Barcelona fall to a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea away at Stamford Bridge, further hindering their chances of securing a top-eight finish in the UEFA Champions League group stage. The Blaugrana were thoroughly outplayed by Enzo Maresca's team from the start, with their problems only being compounded by Ronald Araujo's red card in the first half. One of the stars that shone the brightest for Chelsea on the night was Brazilian wonderkid Estevao Willian - a name very familiar to Barcelona. The 18-year-old sensation was a threat going forward and even scored a brilliant goal early in the second half to make it 2-0. However, it could all have been very different for Estevao.