Barcelona spent most of last week in Saudi Arabia for the Spanish Super Cup, emerging emphatically victorious over rivals Real Madrid. That will bring a few million euros to their accounts, but the Saudi football empire is keen to do more business with the Blaugrana.
After securing Franck Kessie's signature two summers ago, Sport said Saudi Arabia discussed the futures of five potential recruits from Barcelona's squad while the Blaugrana were in Jeddah. One of these is Raphinha, who has been heavily linked with a move to the Middle East last summer but is now considered untouchable by Barcelona.
That is not the case for Frenkie de Jong, Andreas Christensen or Ansu Fati, who Barcelona are expected to try to sign in the summer. Perhaps the most interesting case is Robert Lewandowski, who has one year left on his contract but could extend this contract for another year until 2027 depending on the number of games he plays. The Saudi bid for Lewandowski came in last summer and it is expected they will try again – that deal will depend on whether a 37-year-old Lewandowski still wants to compete at the top level from August next year.
The Polish forward has perhaps been the least impressive of Barcelona's front three this season, but remains their top scorer with 26 goals and 3 assists in just 27 appearances so far. That makes him statistically Spain's best number nine by far, but there is a sense his form is deteriorating and Barcelona are certainly looking at long-term alternatives.
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