Lewa plays with Fire - From Barca to Chicago

One of the best strikers of the 21st century, Robert Lewandowski, is no longer untouchable at Barcelona. Hansi Flick is increasingly leaving him on the bench, giving chances to Ferran Torres, currently the team’s top scorer, which has led the Pole to start thinking about leaving.

His contract expires in the summer; however, the player has an option to activate a clause himself that would keep him for one more year. As things currently stand, he will not do so, and could leave Camp Nou in the summer, Mundo Deportivo reports, echoed by almost all relevant European media.

“I’m not rushing to make a decision about my future. There’s still plenty of time until the summer, we’ll see,” Lewandowski said after the Champions League match in Bruges, when serious speculation first began that the current season could be his last in Catalonia.

In the meantime, the veteran goalscorer has taken some concrete steps regarding his future engagement. According to the same source, Lewandowski held a brief meeting last week with Chicago Fire sporting director Gregg Berhalter, accompanied by his agent Pini Zahavi. The Americans expressed their desire to see him in their ranks next season, and Lewandowski showed he was not uninterested simply by agreeing to the meeting.

“There are signs indicating that Robert Lewandowski’s departure is near,” Mundo Deportivo writes. “Lewandowski’s meeting with Chicago officials confirms that his future is completely open. At Barca they are now waiting for his final decision. The club wants to show him the utmost respect, as he has behaved impeccably professionally throughout, since arriving in 2022. But they also believe it is time to move forward—first by extending Ferran Torres’ contract, and then by bringing in a new star who would be a worthy successor to Robert Lewandowski.”

This season, the Pole has scored eight goals in 12 matches. In the Champions League, he has yet to get on the scoresheet. Overall, over the past three and a half years, he has found the net 109 times in 164 appearances. Many still consider him among the best strikers on the planet.

MLS in MLS - Messi, Lewandowski, Suarez together at Inter Miami?

Barcelona dream of big names—Harry Kane and Erling Haaland are mentioned—but it is clear that will be very difficult, given the club’s financial problems. Still, Lewandowski’s departure would free up a significant amount of money in the wage budget.