Robert Lewandowski has reportedly said goodbye to his Bayern Munich teammates and the staff at the German champions, as he prepares to travel to Barcelona to join the Catalan club.
The Poland international made it clear earlier this summer that he wanted to leave Allianz Arena in search of pastures new, and there has been a host of speculation surrounding his future in recent weeks.
"My era at Bayern is over. I don't see any possibility to continue playing for this club anymore. Bayern's a serious club and I believe they won't keep me, I don't want to play there anymore. A transfer is the best solution. I hope they don't stop me," Lewandowski recently told reporters.
Bayern had allegedly resisted the striker's desire to leave, but it is understood that the Munich giants have now come to an agreement with Barcelona over a transfer fee.
The Catalan giants will reportedly pay an initial €45m (£38.3m) to sign the 33-year-old, which could rise to €50m (£42.5m) when taking into account add-ons.
© Reuters
Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano posted an image on his official Twitter account on Saturday morning which showed Lewandowski embracing Bayern head coach Julian Nagelsmann.
According to Romano, the forward bid farewell to the entire Bayern team during the training session, and he will head to Barcelona on Sunday to officially sign for the La Liga giants.
Lewandowski was again in excellent form for Bayern during the 2021-22 campaign, scoring 50 goals and registering seven assists in 46 appearances in all competitions, as the Munich giants won the Bundesliga title.
Meanwhile, he has scored 344 goals and registered 72 assists in 374 appearances since making the move to the club from Borussia Dortmund in 2014.
Julian Nagelsmann and then whole Bayern team with the farewell to Robert Lewandowski during today's training session. 🔴👋🏻 #FCB
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 16, 2022
Contracts are now being checked in order to sign as soon as possible with Barcelona - Lewandowski will travel on Sunday as expected.@BILD 📸 pic.twitter.com/yA3zjCAdut
Chelsea, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain have also been linked with the striker this summer, but it is understood that he made it clear from the start that he only wanted to move to Camp Nou.
"You know that we have made an offer for Lewandowski and we're waiting on Bayern's response. I want to thank the player for the effort he's made to come. They're evaluating the offer and we're waiting for the response," Barcelona boss Joan Laporta recently told reporters.
Barcelona have already made three signings this summer amid their financial problems, with Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie arriving on free transfers, while Raphinha has joined in a big-money deal from Leeds United.
The Catalan giants have also re-signed Ousmane Dembele following the expiration of his contract.
As a result, the club are under pressure to make a major sale this summer, with Frenkie de Jong still being strongly linked with a move to Man United, but the Netherlands international has been included in their pre-season squad for the tour of the United States.
Matt Law
