Following the departure of 37-year-old Robert Lewandowki, Barcelona have made their desperation for a long-term striker successor abundantly clear.
The months-long, arduous pursuit of Atlético Madrid’s Julián Alvarez hit its latest obstacle just last week, encouraging the Spanish giants to now turn their attentions to Bayern Munich forward and England captain Harry Kane, whose contract expires in the summer of 2027.
Kane’s camp has already responded to Barça, though, stating that although he will not make any official decisions until after the World Cup, he is eager to remain with the Bundesliga champions and renew his contract.
The 32-year-old had the option to activate his contract’s release clause this summer, a decision that would have had to be set in motion back in January, but he opted against it.
Bayern are similarly not interested in letting Kane go. The striker, who joined the German side from Tottenham Hotspur in 2023 for a deal worth more than $110 million (€100million, £86.4m), has notched 146 goals in his subsequent three seasons and led the squad to two league titles, most recently last month. In the 2025–26 season alone, he scored 61 goals and tallied seven assists in 51 appearances across all competitions. He scored 14 goals across 13 Champions League appearances, leading Bayern to the semifinals, where they narrowly fell to eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain.
Who Else Could Barcelona Pursue?
On the final matchday of the season, Barcelona bid an emotional farewell to Lewandowski, who scored 120 goals across his four seasons with the Catalans. The club did not offer the Pole a new contract, instead opting to scour the market for a younger, more mobile No. 9 to lead the line for the foreseeable future.
Hansi Flick’s first choice remains Alvarez, yet even though Alvarez made a bold, public request for transfer, Atléti remained adamant that the young star will not be departing Madrid unless someone coughs up his release clause, a whopping $577 million (€500 million). Barcelona’s reported offer of $116 million (€100 million) back in May was swiftly rejected, as was a similarly steep offer from Real Madrid.
With Kane now not a realistic option either, Barcelona could return to courting João Pedro of Chelsea instead. The 24-year-old forward had 20 goals and nine assists in 50 appearances across all competitions last season, including 15 goals in Premier League play.
Chelsea could likewise be unwilling to trade Pedro, who is under contract until 2033, especially as the club aims to recover from its catastrophic season and rebuild under new manager Xabi Alonso.
Fabrizio Romano reported last month that Chelsea’s stance remains firm: The Blues “want to keep” Pedro. The club views him as an “important part of the project” and “have every intention” of keeping him in a blue shirt.
