La Liga leaders Barcelona has been linked with Manchester City ace Erling Haaland and Sporting CP front-man Viktor Gyokeres in recent months. Addressing these rumors, Sporting Director Deco said the club was not in the market for a center-forward, as Robert Lewandowski was doing a cracking job.
According to reports, Barcelona are eager to bolster their attack ahead of the 2025-26 season, as current first-choice center-forward Lewandowski will be 37 when the next campaign gets underway. Manchester City goalmachine Haaland and in-form Sporting dynamite Gyokeres are reportedly the two players on Barca’s radar.
Both Haaland and Gyokeres have been firing on all cylinders this season. While the Norwegian has scored 15 goals in 16 appearances in all competitions, the Swede has 23 goals and four assists to his name in 18 appearances across tournaments. Haaland’s future at City is reportedly a little dicey, as Pep Guardiola is likely to depart at the end of the 2024-25 season. Gyokeres, meanwhile, is poised to take the next step after bossing the Primeira Liga in the last couple of seasons.
Deco Says Barcelona Is Only Focused on the Present with Robert Lewandowski
In an interview with Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Deco addressed the links with Haaland and Gyokeres.
The ex-Portugal star said (via Sports Mole):
“First, we have to know if Haaland is what we want for the future. We don’t know that now. At the moment we don’t want any nine.
“We have Robert. We are not planning anything with any ‘9’. When the time comes to make a decision, I have to make it because I am the one at the club. We will consider the options, but I don’t think this is the time to talk about any player.”
On Gyokeres, he added:
“He is a good player, he has been scoring goals for a long time in Portugal, we know him as well as others, but he is not our priority today, nor are we looking for a nine to replace Robert.
“We want Lewandowski to continue to be happy, scoring goals and at least to continue for one more season. We have won things and he is happy to be here.”
Lewandowski has recaptured his form from Bayern Munich days under Hansi Flick. The Poland international has played 17 games since the start of the season, scoring 19 goals and providing two assists. His contract with the Blaugrana runs until June 30, 2026.
