Barcelona monitoring number nine with €52m release clause

Barcelona’s latest salary limit strife is evidence that planning too far ahead in the Catalan capital is a dangerous affair. However the Blaugrana will be abundantly aware of the fact that Robert Lewandowski turns 37 this summer, and is not a long-term solution up front.

The Polish veteran looks set to continue for next season, reportedly agreeing a one-year extension with the club in recent months. Alongside him has been Ferran Torres in recent months, but so far there has been little suggestion that Barcelona will look to rely on the Spanish international long-term.

While Newcastle United forward Alexander Isak and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko have both been cited as forwards being watched by Barcelona, doubts over their price tag and whether they will still be available in two summers’ time mean there is little clarity on who Barcelona will be pursuing by that point.

According to GdS, via Football Italia, Barcelona are interested in Moise Kean. The Fiorentina forward has started delivering on his early career potential, and has 21 goals and three assists in 35 appearances this season, and has also attracted interest from Newcastle – potentially as an Isak replacement.

“I want him to stay. Then, if he can’t stay and somebody makes an offer, we’ll see. I’ll try to retain him because he’s important to Fiorentina,” President Rocco Commisso told Sky Sport Italia, as quoted by FI. Kean has a €52m release clause in his contract from the first of July to the 15th.

“We are not first, second, or third, but we defend what we have. I don’t need any club to come here and say they are better than us or the king of Italian football, so they can sign whoever they want.”

Coming through at Juventus as a wonderkid, Kean has had an up and down career, passing through Everton and Paris Saint-Germain, before returning to the Bianconeri in 2021. Last summer he made a €13m move to Florence, and has been a shining light for La Viola this season, showing signs of becoming the number nine many believed he could be at the age of 25.