Lewandowski's Barca Future Hangs in the Balance: Renewal Under New Rules
18 December 2025
Lewandowski's Barcelona Future Under Scrutiny
Robert Lewandowski's future at Barcelona remains uncertain as his contract nears its end after four seasons in Catalonia.
The Polish striker, who will be approaching 38 by season's end, seemed set to depart, but last season's numbers changed expectations: he scored 42 goals and provided 3 assists in 52 appearances, keeping the door open for a stay while the club assesses his impact this season.
The report adds that Barça's management does not want to rush into a decision, given the tangled factors: Lewandowski's form this season, Ferran Torres' performances, the possibility of signing a ready-made replacement, the potential departure of one of the club's heavyweights in the summer, and the club's financial position with the return to the Spotify Camp Nou and the 1:1 rule.
The piece notes that despite technical considerations, the financial hurdle remains the biggest, as Lewandowski is among the club's highest earners, with an annual gross salary around 20 million euros, potentially exceeding 26 million with bonuses.
That figure does not align with Barca's financial strategy, though the sporting management does not rule out keeping him for another season under new terms.
In this context, La Liga is preparing to apply changes to the economic control framework, notably Article 103, which allows clubs to renew a player's contract for an extra season without the usual constraints, provided the contract value does not exceed 8% of the wage bill, a kind of special card usable for a single player.
This clause could open the door to renewing Lewandowski's deal on a salary well below the current one.
The amendments also include special cases for renewing academy players as they improve, as with Lamine Yamal, and allowing profits from certain financial deals to be pushed to future seasons to exploit market opportunities during the season.
And if nothing else, Barca's saga continues to entertain fans: it's cheaper than a new striker, and less painful than another summer thunderstorm on the training pitch.
Punchline: If Lewandowski stays, Barca will need a bigger trophy cabinet for all the goals—and maybe a bigger budget to buy the bench snacks too.
