Robert Lewandowski returned to training at Bayern after successfully passing his preseason medical on Tuesday. The player is back in Munich without his family because of death threats he received online. The Polish star is desperate to leave, but Bayern will only give Barcelona the green light once its transfer terms are met.
Lewandowski is waiting for Barcelona to reach a deal with Bayern so he can switch clubs as soon as possible. Barcelona’s manager, Xavi, is also eager to have Lewandowski at his disposal as soon as possible, ideally before the Blaugrana squad travels to Miami for their preseason preparations.
Bayern insists the fee they’ll settle for can’t go lower than $50 million. The Bundesliga champions want the whole Lewandowski transfer saga to be solved by Saturday when they present the team for next season.
The club’s bosses still believe Lewandowski’s relationship with the Bayern supporters isn’t damaged beyond repair and that he will be almost impossible to replace in the short term. Despite being a veteran at 33, Lewandowski is living his best years. The Ballon d’Or runner-up has scored at a nonstop rate for Bayern, repeatedly proving his worth and beating record upon record at the club level.
Barcelona is playing a waiting game, hoping to cut a deal at a lower fee. The Catalans signed Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen as free agents, and agreed to pay Leeds United almost $70 million (including bonuses) to have Brazilian forward Raphinha on their roster for next season. Barca is ready to re-sign Ousmane Dembele, with Lewandowski left in the background as part of the public strategy the club set.
Odds suggest Lewandowski’s transfer to Barcelona is close
Updated odds place Barcelona at -500 to seal a deal with Bayern for Lewandowski this summer. The bookies tend to believe that the superstar will go on at Bayern if his move to Camp Nou fails for whatever reason. Bayern keeping him is now at +330. Transfers to Paris Saint-Germain (at +900), Chelsea (at +1000), or Manchester United (at +2200) are regarded as marginal options.
Lewandowski scored 35 goals in 34 Bundesliga matches last season, also contributing with three assists. In the Champions League, he netted 13 times and assisted another three goals in just 10 outings. Lewandowski won FIFA’s The Best award in 2021 and 2022.