Barcelona are on the hunt for their next number nine, with most expecting Robert Lewandowski to leave the club at the end of his contract next summer. The 37-year-old has not lost his goalscoring touch, but increasingly has found it difficult to maintain form and fitness throughout an entire campaign.
The Blaugrana will have their work cut out to do so though. With their salary limit issues showing little sign of abating, Director of Football Deco will be tasked with finding a reference point up front without the budget to bring a top player.
Barcelona’s ‘budget’ options at number 9
Barcelona have been linked with a number of forwards over the last year, but two of the options that are reportedly seen as more affordable were revealed to be Borussia Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy and Levante’s Karl Etta Eyong. The latter was considered a potential investment for the future in the summer before he moved to Levante, while Hansi Flick is supposedly a fan of Guirassy’s work.
Karl Etta Eyong hoping to resolve future in January
It has now been added that by MD that Etta Eyong is hoping to have his future resolved in January, and remain on loan at Los Granotas until the summer. The Cameroon international has a €30m release clause in his contract, although for Premier League clubs it is €40m. The 22-year-old has attracted interest from Real Madrid, Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United though, and competition for his services could be stiff.
Barcelona struggle badly without Raphinha.With him, they’ve played 8 games, winning 7 and drawing 1, scoring 21 goals and conceding only 5. Without him, in 6 matches, they’ve won 3 and lost 3, taking just 50% of points, with 13 goals for and 11 against. @bonagerman pic.twitter.com/2GqQyiLvqR
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) October 30, 2025
Etta Eyong has affection for Barcelona
Etta Eyong also appears to have an affection for Barcelona. The same outlet have published an image of him as a 17-year-old dating back to 2019 wearing a Barcelona shirt. However he also has a good relationship with Kylian Mbappe at Real Madrid too, as the latter’s father is from Douala in Cameroon, where Etta Eyong hails from.
