In fact, Barcelona managed to bring in young star players from the youth academy during this period when they were experiencing financial difficulties. Lamine Yamal in particular continues to leave his mark on world football. If they can produce a striker from a young youth academy like Lewandowski, I think Barcelona can maintain this squad for a long time. Most of the players are young and due to financial difficulties they have to turn to free agents. They also have to keep experienced players like Lewandowski.
Lewandowski will be retained, at least as long as he continues to contribute and be productive. However, in the hot transfer window later, Barca must bring in another striker as a backup. It's not just a matter of age, Lewandowski certainly won't play in all competitions that Barcelona participates in. Barca actually has Feran Torres, unfortunately this player is inconsistent and difficult to rely on when Barcelona plays against big teams in various events. At the La Masia Academy, Barcelona does not have a pure striker who is worthy of being a backup for Lewandowski, while Pau Victor is rarely given many minutes to prove his abilities. Unlike Lamine Yamal, he is a mainstay in his squad. Meanwhile, for the center forward position, not many academy players have emerged. So, there is no choice if Flick wants his players to be more competitive, especially for next season, they have to bring them in, especially if no academy products enter the main squad. Barca needs a backup for Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Lewa. If they have them, Barcelona next season can be much stronger than this season.
It's certainly not about Lewandowski's age, even putting all factors aside, he has extended his contract until the summer of 2026, after which he is no longer likely to continue playing for this club, he will either end his career or go elsewhere, but he is unlikely to perform at the same level as he is now. Barcelona are now emphasising youth, which is generally correct, but they can now afford to buy someone from outside rather than taking a player from the academy and developing him further