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Barcelona face €100m headache as Lewandowski nears life-changing contract

14 May 2026 10:55 BST | 5 min read

Robert Lewandowski, Barcelona, 2025/26

Robin Bairner

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

Accredited football journalist and editor covering the game since 2006

Barcelona have been told that striker Robert Lewandowski is “close to accepting” a life-changing offer to play in the Saudi Pro League – and it threatens to cause the Catalan club a €100 million transfer problem.

The Catalan side have been left in limbo over Lewandowski’s future. He is out of contract at the end of the season and agent Pini Zahavi has been in Spain to hold talks with the Camp Nou club.

The former Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich No.9 has scored 18 goals in 44 appearances this season for the Blaugrana as they charged to the Spanish title, and given the financial restrictions placed on Barca ahead of the summer, they are not inclined to see him leave.

Instead, they have shown a willingness to offer him a new deal at a reduced rate.

According to reports from Poland, though, they are set to be trumped by an astonishing offer from Saudi Arabia.

Lewandowski ready to accept €90m Saudi offer

Lewandowski has been offered a contract worth €90m per season by Al-Hilal, according to reliable outlet WP Sportowe Fakty. This is around four times what he currently earns with Barcelona.

On top of this, he will receive a large signing bonus.

The Polish media adds that the prospect of being at the centre of Al-Hilal’s sporting project is likely to be an attractive factor for the 37-year-old. He has enjoyed this status at Barcelona but is unlikely to retain it as he moves into the veteran stages of his career. It is claimed that Lewandowski is “bothered” by no longer having the spotlight at Camp Nou.

Robert Lewandowski, Barcelona, 2025/26

What does this mean for Barcelona

This update represents bad news for Barcelona, who had hoped Lewandowski would remain at the club to give them one less headache in the transfer market this summer.

Recruiting a centre-forward of a similar level will be no easy task. Although Lewandowski’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) has slipped to €9.3m, this is largely on account of his age. His true value to Barcelona is many times more than this.

Lewandowski remains the third-best centre-forward in the world, according to data analytics firm SciSports, which calculates a player’s skill level based on hundreds of in-game data points. He ranks behind only Harry Kane and Erling Haaland, while he is marginally above Kylian Mbappe.

Recruiting a player of this standard typically requires a massive investment. Many of those players around Lewandowski in terms of SciSports’ analysis – Kane, Haaland, Mbappe and Julian Alvarez – cost in excess of €110m.

Barca are not in a position to pay that type of money so will have to either improvise or compromise.

Best centre-forwards (SciSports)

What could this look like?

It means that Barca may need to look outside the box to some extent for a No.9. This could mean targeting a young player with potential – someone like Bournemouth striker Junior Kroupi – or look for a more seasoned pro who’s carrying baggage.

For instance, Nicolas Jackson is rated highly by SciSports but will be sold by Chelsea in the summer or Gabriel Jesus, who is still making his way back from serious injury at Arsenal.

They could also look for an internal solution, with Marcus Rashford’s €30m buy clause in his loan agreement from Manchester United still hanging tantalisingly within reach. That could leave the club committed to using him as a No.9, though. He has typically been preferred on the wings by Hansi Flick, who has repositioned the England international successfully on the right lately.

Barcelona face a critical decision

Lewandowski may have lost his status as a regular starter for Barcelona, but he remains a valuable player for Flick and one who will be costly to replace.

With a player of a similar calibre typically costing €100m in the market, it leaves the Blaugrana facing a massive problem as the veteran striker prepares to leave for the Saudi Pro League. How they deal with it could define the club’s trajectory for seasons to come.