Alexander Isak to Barcelona: David Villa urges La Liga giants to make blockbuster move for Newcastle striker as he also namedrops Erling Haaland as possible Robert Lewandowski replacement

Former Barcelona forward David Villa shared his thoughts about Barcelona's 2024-25 season and reserved special praise for Robert Lewandowski, who has been in the form of his life. In the same interview, the leading all-time goal scorer for Spain mentioned Newcastle United's Alexander Isak and Manchester City's Erling Haaland as the best players to replace the Pole, when the time comes for him to move on.

Since arriving from Bayern Munich in 2022, Lewandowski has scored close to 100 goals for the Catalans in a little over two-and-a-half seasons. In fact, he has already scored 34 this term alone, his best ever tally for Barcelona. Indeed, he may well hit the 50-goal landmark before the end of the current campaign.

Barca will, however, need to start preparing for the future soon. The club is well-aware of the fact that Lewandowski is not getting any younger; he will turn 37 this year, and while he has an option to extend his stay at the club for another year, all the signs point towards the Polish striker leaving Camp Nou at the end of the 2025-26 season as a free agent.

Barcelona have been linked with Isak, who is reportedly on the top of president Joan Laporta's shortlist to succeed Lewandowski, while Haaland is another name constantly rumoured to be on Barca's radar. A move for the latter seems more unlikely, however, given that he recently signed an extension that will keep him in Manchester until at least 2034.

"There are many strikers [who could replace Lewandowski at Barcelona]. It's not just who would fit, it's also who could be signed," Villa told Mundo Deportivo.

"There are very good strikers. Isak is a very good player and knows La Liga. Haaland comes to mind as a centre forward but (laughs) I don't know if City would let him go when they just renewed his contract. There are many strikers and any of them would want to play for Barca. I'm sure the club will do a fantastic job in signing Lewandowski's replacement when necessary."

A 4-0 win over Real Sociedad last weekend, coupled with Real Madrid's 2-1 loss at Real Betis, saw Hansi Flick and Co. gain a crucial three-point lead over their eternal rivals in La Liga. They are just a point above second-placed Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, but will hope to extend their lead when they host Osasuna on Saturday, March 8.