‘I feel really honoured‘ — 22-year-old La Liga striker talks about Barcelona and Real Madrid links | OneFootball

FC Barcelona have a major decision to make at the end of the season. Robert Lewandowski is in the final year of his contract at the Catalan club and, at 37, it is highly unlikely that he will be handed an extension.

Injuries have started creeping into the Pole’s game. He is no longer a regular starter for Hansi Flick, with the German preferring to use Ferran Torres as the number nine. If this is indeed the swansong, identifying the right replacement is paramount.

One player Barcelona are linked with is Levante striker Etta Eyong. The 22-year-old is taking La Liga by storm with his performances and also has links to Real Madrid. When asked about Spain’s big two being linked with him, as quoted by SPORT, he said:

“I feel really honoured. It means a lot to me because it shows my hard work is paying off. But I just have to keep following my path at Levante and then see what happens in the future.”

Eyong spoke about how he tries to distract himself from the chatter. He said:

“I try not to look at my phone much because my friends call me with all the rumours. I tell them, ‘I don’t know anything, I’ve just been playing PlayStation.’ I much prefer playing Call of Duty, watching anime or reading history books than filling my head with rumours. If a big transfer is meant to happen, it will only happen if I work hard.”

Although he did not say it explicitly, Eyong named his role models in the striker position, who happen to be Barcelona legends. He said:

“Eto’o was the best. He’s one of my biggest influences. I loved him when he played for Barcelona. And I’d say Lewandowski is another model to follow, especially when I was younger and he was at Dortmund. He’s scored so many goals over his career. What he’s doing now at Barcelona is really impressive. He’s a great finisher and has very intelligent movement. He always seems to know the right moment to ask for the ball. I can learn a lot from him. When we play Barcelona again, I hope to get his shirt to add to my collection.”

Etta Eyong is the talk of the town in La Liga this season. If he is available, it would make sense for Barcelona to sign him at the end of the campaign and mould him into Lewandowski’s successor. Let us wait and see how things play out.