FC Barcelona will go for a 'top' forward in 2025, with the aim of shielding the left-handed lane and giving Robert Lewandowski a hand with the team's scoring production. Although both Raphinha and Lamine Yamal are masterfully fulfilling this task in 2024/25, the club's idea is to further shield the powerful Barça offensive and, with a sufficient salary margin to sign without restrictions, there are two 'killers' who would be 'crazy' to arrive in Barcelona next summer. Who will Barça choose? At FCBN we review the keys to both cases.
Jonathan David, a 'low cost' alternative that does not completely convince Hansi Flick
Of the scorers on the culé radar, the most feasible option at this point for Barça is, without a doubt, Jonatah David. The Canadian international's contract expires at the end of 2024/25 and, at the moment, he has no intention of renewing with Lille. Despite the idea of losing its scorer for free in June, the club is not contemplating a transfer in January, as the board understands that the sporting factor is a priority.
And the man from Brooklyn is on his way to completing his best season in France, adding 13 goals and 2 assists in 19 games. In 2023/24, Jonathan equaled his scoring record with Lille (26 goals) in 47 games in which he also gave 8 assists. However, Hansi Flick is not totally convinced of the striker's profile to replace Robert Lewandowski, regardless of how advanced Deco could be in the operation.
David is a born center forward, an expert in attacking spaces thanks to his speed and power, but at 25 years old he prioritizes joining a team where he is assured of starting. Although 'Lewy' will begin 2025/26 at the age of 37, if he maintains his current records, he will continue to be indisputable in the German coach's XI. This factor would lead the technical staff, perhaps, to opt for another lower-profile scorer, who can fight for a position, without compromising egos.
Rafael Leao, a dream difficult to achieve for Barça
With Rafael Leao, the situation is very different. Both the board and the Barça coaching staff consider him a 'crack' who would fit perfectly into the culé scheme, although his character and personality can be somewhat difficult to handle. The Portuguese has had a lot of problems with Milan's new coach, Paulo Fonseca, due to the coach's insistence that all the forwards give a hand in the recovery.
In that sense, the 26-year-old still has a lot to improve, but Flick believes he can 'polish' it without problems. The main obstacle to signing him is that he has a contract until 2028 and the Rossoneri are asking for more than 100 million euros to let him go, an amount that is very difficult to reach for a Barça still in trouble with its salary bill.
A couple of important sales in the summer would leave enough money in the club's coffers to amortize an operation of such magnitude, but the Catalan market plan points in another direction. On repeated occasions, Joan Laporta has made it clear that the objective is to invest judiciously and not repeat mistakes of the recent past with ruinous transfers (Dembélé, Coutinho, Griezmann).
Despite this, the board maintains Almada as one of its favorites for the left wing position, one of the market priorities for Barça in the next summer window. This year there was already a rapprochement between the parties, with a positive response from the footballer. Thus, both Rafa Leao and Jonathan David are waiting for a Barça offer in a summer of 2025 that promises to be the most intense of the last decade in Catalonia.