Barcelona is one game away from ending an outstanding season with a 2025 to remember, in which only the Champions League has eluded them. On Sunday, the Azulgranas celebrated and presented the Spanish Super Cup, Copa del Rey, and La Liga trophy to their fans after losing to Villarreal, thus ending their unbeaten run in La Liga in the second half of the season after 17 consecutive games without defeat in the domestic competition.
Much of that success is down to the superb performances of players such as Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Lewandowski. A lethal trio that has become the highest-scoring in Europe, leading the team to three titles and making them the highest-scoring team in the major leagues. There have also been supporting players such as Fermín, Dani Olmo and Ferran Torres who have also been key in front of goal.
A lethal LRL
The LRL has lived up to the best MSN, exceeding the expectations of the Barça fans. The Culé attacking trio ended their Champions League campaign with record figures. Between them, the three players scored 29 goals, two more than Messi, Luis Suárez, and Neymar in 2014-2015. In addition, Raphinha finished with 13 goals, joint top scorer in the competition alongside Guirassy.
Between them, they have scored 52 goals in La Liga and have been particularly successful against Real Madrid this season. Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Lamine Yamal have scored eleven of Barça’s sixteen goals against the Whites in this season’s four clásicos.
Deco is clear
Just a few days ago, Deco, Barça’s sporting director, gave an interview to ESPN in which he outlined the main lines to follow in the transfer market. “Suddenly we feel very dependent on Raphinha and Lamine. Maybe we need similar players, a solution for them. The squad is quite balanced and we also have a lot of good things at the base,” said the sporting director. Both players are waiting to sign a renewal that is at an advanced stage in both cases, as both players want to continue at Camp Nou.
Deco was very satisfied with the team’s performance and therefore considered that the key is to maintain the current structure. “We have already renewed most of the squad, now we have to look after those who are here. Last year I said we couldn’t lose anyone. I think it’s the same now. If we can improve, it’s always possible, but the key is to keep what we have consolidated for the coming years,” he explained.
A clear favorite
President Laporta has assured in recent days that the club is gradually emerging from the economic crisis in order to be able to make signings and, in that sense, looking for competition for Raphinha and Lamine, there has always been a clear favorite: Luis Díaz. The Colombian winger has a contract with Liverpool until 2027. The 28-year-old has a price tag of €80 million, and as long as Fair Play allows it, the club is willing to make a financial effort for a player who would be key in finding a solution to the team’s dependence on the Brazilian, according to Deco.
The truth is that once the formula is found to pay the amount demanded by Liverpool, his salary does not seem difficult to fit within the limit, as he does not currently have a very high salary, around €3.5 million per season, a figure that is acceptable for Barcelona, who could even afford a slight increase in the Colombian winger’s wages.