Barcelona president Joan Laporta ready to close deal for Robert Lewandowski’s replacement in January transfer window: Reports

Barcelona's club president Joan Laporta is reportedly keen on landing Lille striker Jonathan David in the upcoming January transfer window. The Canadian international has been singled out by the club as an ideal replacement for Robert Lewandowski.

Lewandowski, 36, is in the twilight of his career and La Blaugrana are planning toward life without the veteran forward. The former Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund star is contracted to the club until June 2026. Lewandowski started the season like a house on fire. He scored 14 goals in the first 11 league games of the season and netted seven times in six UEFA Champions League outings.

However, the Pole has struggled to find the net in recent weeks, managing just two strikes in his last eight league appearances. Barcelona were reportedly considering a contract extension for Lewandowski following his sublime start to the season, but his recent performance has intensified the club's plans for a replacement.

According to El Nacional, Barcelona have players like Aleksander Isak, Viktor Gyokeres and Erling Haaland on their list of possible replacements for Lewandowski. However, Jonathan David is one player the LaLiga giants are hugely interested in and have been monitoring for a while.

David, 24, is in the final months of his contract with Lille and has yet to pen a new deal. As such, he would be available to enter contract talks with other clubs by January 2025. Barcelona president Joan Laporta hopes to convince the forward to join La Blaugrana on a free next summer and wants to secure his signature by January.

Should David agree to join Barcelona, he could become a valuable asset for the club due to his experience and goalscoring abilities. In 26 games across competitions this term, he has scored 17 times and provided five more. Overall, he has 101 goals and 23 assists in 209 games for Lille.

Barcelona are planning a player swap deal with Manchester United - Reports

According to TEAMTalk, Barcelona are planning to offer Ansu Fati to Manchester United in a player swap deal for Marcus Rashford. Both players notably play in the same position on the left-wing of attack.

Rashford could be on his way out of Manchester United after being frozen out of the team by manager Ruben Amorim. Fati, on the other hand, has struggled for game minutes under Hansi Flick.

La Blaugrana are now reportedly working towards a deal that could see the Englishman move to Spain, while the Spaniard switches to England.