Barcelona have announced the signing of Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich, making him the club’s fifth arrival from LaLiga this summer.
Bayern president Herbert Hainer confirmed on Saturday that the clubs had reached a verbal agreement for the transfer of the 33-year-old striker, but the move has since been finalized.
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Lewandowski will sign a four-year contract with a release clause set at 500 million euros, Barcelona said in a statement. He had 12 months left on his contract with Bayern and he moved to Barcelona for €45m with possible €5m add-ons, the 26-time Spanish champions confirmed.
The Polish international joined his new teammates on Barca’s pre-season tour of the United States on Monday ahead of their Major League Soccer friendly against Inter Miami on Tuesday night.
Lewandowski twice won the Golden Boot as Europe’s top scorer and finished as runner-up for the 2021 Ballon d’Or. He joins Pablo Torre, Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen and Raphinha as additions as Barcelona look to build a team to contend for LaLiga and the Champions League under the direction of coach Xavi Hernández.
He was one of the club’s main targets this summer and helped fuel the move as he looked for a new challenge after eight brilliant years at Bayern Munich.
ESPN reported last month that Barca had made a series of offers, the latest worth more than €40m, for Lewandowski, who only had one year left on his contract, but was unable to convince Bayern until they finally agreed. made progress in the talks.
Lewandowski will join a Barca attack that already includes Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ferran Torres, Ousmane Dembele, Ansu Fati and his summer partner Raphinha.
He began his career in Poland, winning a league title with Lech Poznan. He joined Borussia Dortmund in 2010 and became one of the highest-rated strikers in Europe, winning two Bundesliga titles with Dortmund and reaching the Champions League final before joining Bayern on a free transfer. in 2014.
At Bayern, Lewandowski scored 344 goals in 375 appearances, placing him second on their all-time goalscoring list behind Gerd Muller.
He won the Bundesliga in all eight seasons at the club, as well as the Champions League in 2020, and was named FIFA Best Men’s Player in 2020 and 2021.
