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| FILE: Poland's Robert Lewandowski heads the ball during the UEFA Nations League soccer match between Poland and Belgium at the National Stadium in Warsaw, Poland, June 14, 2022. Barcelona has made an offer to Bayern Munich for star striker Robert Lewandowski, the Spanish club’s president said Thursday, July 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Michal Dyjuk, File) |
Barcelona has made an offer to Bayern Munich for star striker Robert Lewandowski, the Spanish club’s president said Thursday.
“We have made an offer for the player and we are waiting for
a response,” said Barcelona president Joan Laporta. “We thank the player for
showing an interest in our club.”
Lewandowski said in late May that “my story with Bayern
Munich is over” and that a transfer to a new club would be the best solution.
The 33-year-old Poland striker has one more season on his contract with the
Bundesliga giant.
Contract extension talks between Bayern and Lewandowski
broke down this season with both sides providing different reasons. While the
club said that the player had rejected its offer, his agent said an offer was
never made by Bayern.
Barcelona is seeking to rebuild its attack a year after
Lionel Messi left. It finished last season without a title, coming in a distant
second to champion Real Madrid in the Spanish league and failing to make it out
of the Champions League group phase.
The Catalan club is mired in debt. It recently sold 10% of
its Spanish league television rights for the next 25 years in exchange for just
over 200 million euros ($203 million). Some of that it will use to sign new
players.
This week it incorporated new signings Franck Kessie and
Andreas Christensen to strengthen its midfield and defense, respectively.
Lewandowski would be a huge boost to its attack.
He has scored 312 goals in 384 Bundesliga games for Bayern and former club Borussia Dortmund. He hit 35 goals in 34 appearances last season to become the Bundesliga’s leading scorer for the fifth season in a row, and the seventh time overall.