Robert Lewandowski Set To Join Barcelona From Bayern In $50 Million Deal

The transfer saga has finally come to its conclusion. Robert Lewandowski will leave Bayern Munich and join Barcelona. First reported on Friday afternoon by Transfermarkt, the news spread like wildfire throughout the evening, with several outlets reporting the conclusion of the transfer.

Lewandowski, who earns up to $24 million a season at Bayern, is set to sign a four-year contract with the Catalan club. Barcelona will pay up to $50 million for the transfer—$5 million are easy-to-reach bonuses. The deal is heavily frontloaded to guarantee that the Rekordmeister will receive the payments from a Barcelona side in the news for financial difficulties.

The impending transfer will bring much-needed planning security to Bayern. Lewandowski returned to practice on July 12 and completed his medical in top shape. But Bayern is traveling to the United States on Monday, and there is a team presentation scheduled for Saturday at the Allianz Arena—both Lewandowski and the club came to the conclusion that the player’s presence at both would have been awkward.

For Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic, the transfer is also a form of emancipation. For years the club was run by former president and manager Uli Hoeneß, who still had significant control over the club as a member of the board. Hoeneß was categorically against a transfer.

Although Kahn and Salihamidzic publically voiced their opposition to selling Lewandowski, internally, they saw the situation differently. This was a business deal for them, an opportunity to sell an aging asset above market value. Once completed, Lewandowski will become the second most expensive over 32-year-old player behind Cristiano Ronaldo—Juventus paid almost $130 million for the then 33-year-old Portuguese striker in 2018.

With that in mind, it is a good deal for Bayern. The club will now take the funds generated from selling Lewandowski to buy Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus. The German and Italian clubs were still somewhat apart in the latest negotiations, but the Lewandowski money will help to bridge that gap.

When it comes to filling the hole in attack, Bayern might very well look both internally but also bring in a young forward. Stade Rennais forward Mathys Tel has been heavily linked, but the young Frenchman is a long-term replacement rather than a short-term option. Instead, the Rekordmeister is likely to put the weight of 35-40 goals Lewandowski provided on many different shoulders.

Expect Sadio Mané to largely play at the center of a three-man attack that will also include a rotation of Kingsley Coman, Serge Gnarby, and Leroy Sané. Gnabry, in particular, could be seeing a more elevated role within the squad. Bayern is now close to signing the German international to a new contract, and Gnabry would like to play in a No.9 role.

Off the field, Lewandowski will be harder to replace. The Polish striker has broken many records, including Gerd Müller’s 40-goal in-season goalscoring record in 2020/21. There is no doubt that the 33-year-old was a Bundesliga star, and the league will be less entertaining without him.

Manuel Veth is the host of the Bundesliga Gegenpressing Podcast and the Area Manager USA at Transfermarkt. He has also been published in the Guardian, Newsweek, Howler, Pro Soccer USA, and several other outlets. Follow him on Twitter: @ManuelVeth