Barcelona have confirmed an agreement to sign Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich as Xavi’s rebuild at Camp Nou continues apace.
The confirmation of the deal comes at the end of a saga which began before even the 2021-22 season was over, and ends with Barca once more having a modern icon of the game on their books, a year on from Lionel Messi’s departure.
Barcelona will pay an initial fee of €45 million (£38m/$45m) to bring Lewandowski to Catalunya, with a further €5m (£4.3m/$5m) potentially due in add-ons if certain clauses are met.
A statement from the club read: “FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich have reached an agreement in principle for the transfer of Robert Lewandowski, dependent on the player passing a medical and contracts being signed.”
Lewandowski is expected to sign an initial three-year contract with an option to extend it by a further year, meaning he could remain at Camp Nou through until the end of the 2025-26 season.
Barcelona’s financial issues have been well documented this summer, leading to eyebrows being raised at the arrival of Lewandowski and Barca’s other new signings.
Blaugrana president Joan Laporta was given permission to sell club assets by the Barca members’ assembly last June as they targeted investment funds capable of providing financing so that operations could run as normal in the short term.
They successfully sold a first package of financial assets before striking a €207.5 million (£176m/$207m) deal with investment group Sixth Street on June 30, 2022.
