Manchester United’s summer signing of Slovenian striker Benjamin Šeško from RB Leipzig has dealt a blow to Barcelona—who had planned to bring the 22-year-old to Camp Nou in 2026 as Robert Lewandowski’s successor. United’s last-minute move has left Barça’s management deeply frustrated.
Barça sporting director Deco has long rated Šeško highly, and with a strategic eye, he’d earmarked the young center-forward as a potential replacement for Lewandowski. The Polish striker is entering his fourth season at Barça on a high-wage deal, and all signs point to him leaving when his contract expires in June 2027 (aged 37)—meaning Barça needed to finalize the forward transition in the summer after the 2026 US World Cup.
Barça knew Šeško was unlikely to stay at Leipzig—especially after seeing the Premier League dominate big-ticket transfers this summer (such as Rodrygo’s potential move from Real Madrid to Pep Guardiola’s Man City). But crippled by financial constraints, Barça’s summer signings already exceeded initial expectations (e.g., early goalkeeper replacement with Juan García), leaving them unable to "lock in" Šeško a year early. With the club in a rebuilding phase full of uncertainty, plus La Liga’s relentless demands on their financial adjustments, Barça couldn’t convince the in-demand star to "wait" until 2026 to wear the Blaugrana jersey.
United’s €85m for Šeško, Liverpool’s staggering €95m for Randal Kolo Muani from Eintracht Frankfurt, and Arsenal’s €76m (including add-ons) for Jørgen Strand Larsen from Sporting CP—these blockbuster deals have shown Barça just how pricey next year’s top striker market could be.
Faced with reality, Barça may have no choice but to turn to the secondary market for a "hidden gem" whose price fits their financial reality. Deco has previously stated he values versatile players over position-specific specialists, so it’s possible they’ll abandon chasing a pure "No.9" and instead use existing options (like new signing Marcus Rashford, Dani Olmo, or Ferran Torres) to fill Lewandowski’s role. With Lewandowski already sidelined by injury early in the season, Barça has a year to observe these three in attack before making a calm, unrushed decision.
