Barcelona and Real Madrid are now keeping tabs on €10m player likened to Kylian Mbappe | OneFootball

At 36 years of age, Robert Lewandowski is having a great start to the 2024-25 season with FC Barcelona. The Polish international is currently one of the top scorers in the top European leagues, and is also on course to have his personal best season.

However, his advanced age still poses a challenge for the Blaugrana sporting department, as they will have to look for a replacement for the striker sooner or later.

Lewandowski’s current contract ends in 2025, but he will get an automatic extension if he plays in 55% of games this season, and with this extension, he can remain at Barcelona till 38 years of age.

But Barcelona are already looking for potential players to replace him when he leaves the club, and according to SPORT, one of the names that has attracted the interest of the Catalans is Eli Junior Kroupi, who currently plays for the French side Lorient, and is emerging as one of the biggest talents in France.

At only 18 years of age, the striker has already scored four goals in eight Ligue 2 appearances, and his performances have aroused the interest of some of the biggest clubs across Europe.

Thus, Barcelona might face competition from the likes of Real Madrid, and some Italian teams like Napoli, AC Milan, and Juventus. However, as things stand, both Barcelona and Real Madrid are closely monitoring the youngster’s progress.

Despite playing in the second division, his goalscoring ability has earned him a €10 million valuation, and in some circles, as highlighted by Mundo Deportivo, he’s even been dubbed the ‘new Mbappé.’ Furthermore, he has already made three international appearances for the French U-19 team.

He has a contract till 2026 with Lorient and thus will be within the spending range of Barcelona. Still, with all the clubs interested in him, the competition from the likes of Real Madrid can significantly complicate any operation to incorporate him for Barcelona.