Why it makes perfect sense for Porto to be interested in Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski

[p][a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/4RmvTaQhMxOiWbL0FhT7SA?si=V5YWneDSQByocyj7Nx6ozw" target="_blank"][b]Click here to read this article on Spotify[/b][/a][/p][p]Reports indicate that there's a chance he could stay at Camp Nou beyond this season, but given his advancing years and not insignificant salary, there's a strong likelihood that the final stage of his career will be played out elsewhere.[/p][h2][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lewandowski-robert/MVC8zHZD/"]Lewandowski[/a] still knows where the goal is[/h2][p]The Polish international will be 38 at the start of the 2026/27 campaign, and whilst he still knows where the goal is - he's scored 18 in 43 games in all club competitions this season, the most of any player over 35 in Europe's top leagues - he has certainly slowed down in terms of his anticipation and ability to hunt down defenders when not in possession.[/p][p]Give him the right service, however, and the skill set that he's been lauded for throughout his time in elite football is still there for all to see. That there isn't too much more that can be expected from him these days shouldn't really be used as a stick to beat him with.[/p][embed guid="9f3fb3c2-df1b-432e-9f12-c95e95649a07" url="https://x.com/FCBarcelona/status/1883632020917514562" social-type="twitter" /][p]Of course, slightly lower output doesn't turn him into a bad player overnight, though it does mean plying his trade in a top five European league may be beyond him in future, begging the question as to where he could end up next...[/p][h2]Porto linked[/h2][p]One club who have been heavily linked with a summer move for his services are Portuguese giants[a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/fc-porto/S2NmScGp/"] Porto[/a].[/p][p]The Dragons have won this season's Portuguese league title and, though they're not in one of the major European leagues, they still have some cachet.[/p][p]Francesco Farioli has them playing wonderful football, which has seen them lose only two league games all season and concede just 18 goals.[/p][p]Adding Lewandowski to their front line to add a little more experience when needed doesn't sound like the worst idea in the world, either.[/p][embed guid="3b1bf631-dc78-4713-90b4-faa53732a198" url="https://x.com/Plettigoal/status/2054280343553716384" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]"Despite his age, Lewandowski would make perfect sense for FC Porto. He would be a huge addition to the squad in a season where the Dragons return to the Champions League,"[/b] Flashscore's Portuguese editor Rodrigo Coimbra noted.[/p][p][b]"Similar to the strategy followed this season, with the signings of experienced players such as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/de-jong-luuk/fVuRxt84/"]Luuk de Jong[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/thiago-silva/xAsJbgXA/"]Thiago Silva[/a], the arrival of the Polish striker would bring leadership, competitive maturity and a winning mentality to what is still a relatively young group."[/b][/p][h2]Quality and consistency[/h2][p]That winning mentality has gone a long way to helping [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/barcelona/SKbpVP5K/"]Barcelona[/a] win two league titles in a row, as part of five domestic title wins out of the last six available.[/p][p]Since joining the club back in 2022, the Polish international has certainly paid back his transfer fee in goals and strong attacking performances.[/p][image alt="Robert Lewandowski's recent stats" id="5f6293b9-8a25-4fda-a309-a32070e59261" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="d463090c-5ff6-43f1-ab44-cc32919d33a9" original-width="1200" original-height="1200" /][p]His 119 goals and 22 assists in 190 games since joining the club in 2022 are 46 more than any other player in the squad has managed across the same time frame, and it shouldn't be ignored that the number of matches he's played in four seasons is also more than any squad member, too. [/p][p]With 0.73 goals per game scored during 25/26, only [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/torres-ferran/AVAVLaLt/"]Ferran Torres[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/raphinha/xtBsDPam/"]Raphinha[/a] can boast a better output in this regard. Not bad for a 37-year-old.[/p][p]The importance, therefore, of having him fit and firing, particularly in the big matches, can't be understated.[/p][p][b]"I do not believe Lewandowski would arrive as an absolutely undisputed starter, mainly because Farioli is a coach who is extremely careful with the physical and competitive management of his squad,"[/b] Rodrigo Coimbra continued.[/p][image alt="Robert Lewandowski attacking carries - LaLiga 2025/26" id="510b3040-7a0a-47bc-a580-699904bb63da" credit-line="Opta by Stats Perform" guid="38a2f29b-b70f-4ceb-85c1-9c21a3f5b54c" original-width="768" original-height="576" /][p][b]"Even so, he would certainly be an important player, capable of taking on a leading role in around 60 to 70 per cent of the matches.[/b][/p][p][b]"The striker position ended up being one of FC Porto’s biggest problems during the second half of the season. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/omorodion-samu/6uOlanff/"]Samu Omorodion[/a] suffered an injury in February and was also ruled out of the World Cup, while Luuk de Jong spent almost the entire campaign unavailable due to physical issues. [/b][/p][p][b]"[a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gul-denis/48cVffnH/"]Deniz Gul[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/moffi-teremas/ny2HpVKp/"]Terem Moffi[/a], meanwhile, struggled to establish themselves as consistent attacking references in a highly demanding environment."[/b][/p][h2]Superb team player[/h2][p]1,460 one-on-one duels engaged in since joining Barca are second only to Lamine Yamal, though, as expected, his 534 aerial duels far surpass the other members of the squad in terms of amount.[/p][p]It's that ability to win balls in the air and either hold up play or flick the ball on which still gives him an attacking edge and makes him a difficult customer to play against for opposition defenders.[/p][image alt="Robert Lewandowski radar graphic - LaLiga 2025/26" id="fc45ad47-308b-44f0-9fc6-d23de048fda4" credit-line="Opta by Stats Perform" guid="c9cba6ce-07ab-4056-8165-f980f8654d36" original-width="768" original-height="576" /][p][b]"Naturally, representing Barcelona is different from playing for FC Porto, but a move to Portugal could allow him to recover some of the prominence he has gradually lost in Catalonia,"[/b] Rodrigo Coimbra added. [/p][p][b]"In a different competitive context, but still one that is highly demanding and attracts major attention, Lewandowski would have every condition to once again assume a central role within a team with European ambitions.[/b][/p][embed guid="12647581-f481-4d7c-b82e-9166b614f5dc" url="https://x.com/FCBarcelona/status/1878970539835830713" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]"Furthermore, his potential arrival would be extraordinary for Portuguese football itself. Liga Portugal has already shown in the past that it is capable of attracting historic names in world football, such as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/schmeichel-peter/lQvkmZrb/"]Peter Schmeichel[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/casillas-iker/SEKEaDF5/"]Iker Casillas[/a], Thiago Silva and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/costa-rui/CGWXGgA5/"]Rui Costa[/a]. [/b][/p][p][b]"The presence of a figure of Lewandowski’s stature would naturally increase the league’s international visibility, adding media impact, competitive quality and even greater global interest in Portuguese football."[/b][/p][h2]Ridiculous xG since joining Barcelona[/h2][p]It's also worth pointing out that, given that the striker's natural game also leans on his physical abilities as much as his goalscoring nous, the fact that he's received just 14 yellow cards in four seasons - one of the lowest card counts in the squad - should be lauded too.[/p][image alt="Robert Lewandowski's xG - LaLiga 2025/26" id="2072f795-b756-436c-9abc-5f3539a0a11f" credit-line="Opta by Stats Perform" guid="b18cba33-7ed3-4e06-8df1-0d47fecd202a" original-width="768" original-height="576" /][p]With a frankly ridiculous xG of 114.06, it's blindingly obvious that Lewandowski still has enough to offer Porto or any other club interested in his services.[/p][p]Even if it's understandable why Barcelona might allow him to leave this summer, Lewandowski can go with his head held high, confident he can still thrive elsewhere.[/p][image alt="Jason Pettigrove" id="357b7670-2671-4ece-b1ed-6bb721b18228" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="ba9de2ac-916a-40cf-9ec8-6973bd9c72d4" original-width="1200" original-height="380" /]