Gyokeres off the table as Deco affirms confidence in Lewandowski

Robert Lewandowski is set to enter his fourth consecutive season as Barcelona's main striker without serious competition. At the sporting directors' conference in Porto this weekend, Deco was quizzed by Portuguese media on Gyokeres. His answer ruled out not just him, but any new forward.

"Look, I'm not here to talk about the transfer market — I'm here for other matters, and it's not the right time. Gyokeres is a great player who's scored plenty of goals for Sporting Lisbon in recent years, but we're not currently looking to bring anyone in for that position.

"We've already got Lewandowski as our number nine, so it's not an area we're seeking reinforcements for," the Barcelona sporting director said.

Lewandowski scored 42 goals and assisted three times in the 2024/25 season, featuring in 52 matches and starting 47 — his best stats at Barcelona and the highest number of appearances he's had in a single season in his career.

Only in the previous two seasons did he register more assists, but that isn't a concern for him, as players like Raphinha, Lamine Yamal and Pedri Gonzalez tend to provide more creativity.

Gyokeres is also having a record season, interestingly appearing in the same number of games — 52 — but with 54 goals to his name. At ten years younger than Lewandowski, his market value is over €80 million, a figure that's out of reach for Barcelona's current finances.

He is also contracted with Sporting until 30 June 2028, making any move extremely unlikely.