For those curious about Robert Lewandowski’s recent activities, the striker isn’t exactly having a great time. The Polish attacker has suffered the shame of losing twice in a single season after joining FC Barcelona in the summer of 2022, and his goal-scoring prowess has generally declined since then. With a one-year option to extend his contract until 2026, the 35-year-old’sCatalansare starting to lose patience with him.
Mundo Deportivo claims that during halftime of Barcelona’s match against Almería, coach Xavi Hernández appeared to have reached his breaking point, launching an intense tirade that specifically targeted several players. The primary target mentioned is Robert Lewandowski, and MD emphasizes that the coach has never been this critical of him before. After the game, Xavi acknowledged the incident and said that the halftime speech was the most difficult one he had ever given as a coach.
The FC Barcelona board, who paid €45 million plus add-ons to Bayern Munich for the team’s star striker, is also not happy with him. These add-ons don’t seem likely to happen right now because Lewandowski isn’t scoring well. His season goal total is a pitiful nine, and he hasn’t scored since the December 12 match against Girona.
Sport claims that Lewandowski’s status as “untouchable” has changed, and the Barcelona hierarchy wants to offload him before his contract is about to expire. This is due to the fact that Barca accepted a contract that called for Lewandowski’s pay to rise annually when they signed the Bayern player. Their goal is to get rid of that debt as quickly as possible, preferably by selling him to a Saudi Arabian club.
Nevertheless, Pini Zahavi recently made the trip to Spain to clarify that his client would not consent to a transfer, even though the FCB executives had already gotten in touch with Saudi middlemen to see if a deal could be made.
What occurs if there is no transfer? That would mean that Joan Laporta would have to pull out a classic ruse from his toolbox and coerce the player into accepting a smaller salary. When Frenkie de Jong turned down a lucrative summer transfer to Manchester United (for Barca), the team tried this same tactic on him last year.
Bild states that Barca believes Lewandowski will take a pay cut. They don’t explain the source of this optimism. The 35-year-old would likely want to get paid every cent he is owed because it appears that he is nearing the end of his career.
It isn’t fair to him if Barca is unable to pay what was agreed upon, as the contract was written in a way that allows Barca to circumvent Spanish FFP regulations.
Either way, Robert Lewandowski is coming under increasing pressure. The striker, who appears to be troubled in every direction, will need to find a way to score. If not, a trip to Saudi Arabia might be his only choice, whether or not he wants to go.
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