Barcelona is set to sign Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski. This move of acquiring a world-class scorer who can finally help fill the void after Lionel Messi's exit last summer will be a bold move by the club that is debt-ridden.
The two European clubs have reached an agreement for Lewandowski's move to Camp Nou, Bayern president Herbert Hainer said.
“We have come to a verbal agreement with Barcelona. It's good to have clarity for all parties," Hainer said on Bayern's official social media account. "Robert is an incredible player and he won everything with us. We are incredibly grateful to him.”
The transfer would cost Barcelona around 50 million euros ($50.4 million), according to reports.
If the fee is confirmed, it would be a club-record sale fee for Bayern, exceeding the 40 million euros ($40.3 million) the German champion received from Juventus for Douglas Costa in 2018.
The 33-year-old Lewandowski is one of soccer's most prolific scorers of the past decade. The decision to make him a part of Barcelona will boost the club's chances of rebuilding a competitive team after winning nothing last season.
Lewandowski has scored 312 goals in 384 Bundesliga games for Bayern and his previous club Borussia Dortmund. He hit 35 goals in 34 appearances last season to become the Bundesliga's leading scorer for the seventh time overall. On the other hand, Barcelona's top scorers were Memphis Depay and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang with 13 goals each last campaign.
Lewandowski had stated in late May that “my story with Bayern Munich is over” after contract extension talks with Bayern broke down. He had one more season left on his contract with Bayern.
Barcelona is currently in debt mostly due to the huge transfer fees and salaries paid out by its previous president and board. In order to make signings this summer, current president Joan Laporta had to sell 10% of the team's Spanish league television rights for the next 25 years in exchange for 207.5 million euros ($207.5 million).
Now, with Lewandowski's inclusion, the club is clearly betting on winning titles again in the short term.
(Inputs from PTI)
