Barcelona’s Search for Lewandowski’s Replacement Hits a Wall at Man United’s Benjamín Šeško

Manchester United has no intention of letting Benjamín Šeško go anywhere this summer. That is the word out of club sources, and it runs counter to recent rumors linking the Slovenian striker with a move to Barcelona.

The Catalan club is actively planning for life after Robert Lewandowski. The Polish striker is expected to leave after four seasons at Camp Nou, and Barcelona’s scouting staff has been running through a list of potential long-term replacements. Šeško’s name came up. But United’s response was basically: not happening.

United’s investment is just starting to pay off

Manchester United paid RB Leipzig £73 million for Šeško last summer. That is a lot of money for a 21-year-old who needed time to adjust to the Premier League. But the club’s coaching staff believes that investment is already showing returns.

Šeško finished his first season in England with 12 goals in 32 appearances across all competitions. Eleven of those came in the Premier League. Not eye-popping numbers for a big-money striker, but the growth trajectory matters more than the raw total. Seven of those 12 goals came after Michael Carrick took over as interim manager in January, which lines up with when Šeško started looking like he actually belonged.

Part of that was extra work. Šeško spent hours doing individual training sessions with Carrick and first-team coach Travis Binnion, focusing on movement in the box and finishing under pressure. It showed. He hit a stretch where he looked like United’s most dangerous attacking player, which is exactly what the front office hoped for when they wrote that check.

Barcelona’s backup plan isn’t simple either

Barcelona’s primary target has been Julián Álvarez at Atlético Madrid. But negotiations there have dragged, and sources describe them as anything but straightforward. Atlético is not eager to let Álvarez go, and the price tag keeps shifting. That has forced Barcelona to look at other options, with Šeško and Borussia Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy emerging as names on the list.

There is also speculation that Atlético itself could come after Šeško if Álvarez leaves. But United is not worried about that either. The club sees Šeško as part of its long-term plan, not a trade chip in someone else’s roster shuffle.

For now, Barcelona keeps looking. But if they were hoping United might be open to a deal, they are going to need a different plan.