Barcelona Announce 'Agreement In Principle' For Transfer Of Robert Lewandowski

Robert Lewandowski looks set to leave Bayern Munich to join Spanish giants Barcelona in a deal believed to be worth around €45million, rising to €50million in add-ons.

At around 4pm on Saturday afternoon, FC Bayern confirmed a verbal agreement was in place with Barcelona for the transfer of Lewandowski, who has been strongly linked with a move this summer.

And now, after weeks of speculation surrounding his future, La Liga runners up Barca have announced that an 'agreement in principal' is in place to sign the 33-year-old forward.

Agreement in principle for the transfer of Robert Lewandowski

🔗 https://t.co/quEclaHkdl https://t.co/YTCRbaW173

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) July 16, 2022

A statement on their official website reads: "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."

🚨 Robert Lewandowski has arrived in Spain to complete his Barcelona medical and sign his contract.

(📸 @GerardRomero) pic.twitter.com/Ajx16ueCyZ

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) July 16, 2022

The Poland international has signed a four-year contract with the Catalan giants, according to The Athletic, who report that Lewandowski will join Barcelona’s US tour on Sunday.

He will also undergo a medical in Miami.

Last month, the 33-year-old striker confirmed his desire to leave Munich. “My story with Bayern has come to an end, I cannot imagine further good cooperation," he said.

“I hope they will not stop me (from leaving) just because they can. A transfer is the best solution for everyone.”

📸 Lewandowski saying farewell to Bayern today: pic.twitter.com/Xy9ulrLbvw

— Reshad Rahman ✆ (@ReshadRahman_) July 16, 2022

So what did those at Bayern have to say following the announcement of his depature?

Club president Herbert Hainer said: "It's good for both sides that we have clarity. Robert has earned our appreciation, he has won everything with us. We are incredibly grateful to him."

Oliver Kahn, who is the CEO at Bayern – a club he spent 14 years playing for – also commented on the transfer.

"We have agreed to release Robert Lewandowski. We have a verbal agreement with FC Barcelona, the contract is still pending," he said.

"We know very well what we have to thank Robert for, but great players have also left FC Bayern in the past, and even after that, Bayern's world did not fall apart. On the contrary, it often continued with even more success."

Barcelona, meanwhile, are in a precarious situation when it comes to their finances. As well as being €1.3 billion in debt, according to reports, La Liga have set the club a salary limit of €-144 million.

In the 21/22 season Barcelona's salary limit was €98m. To overcome this players inc; Pique, Busquets and Alba took salary cuts. It's now MINUS 144m compared to Madrid's 739m.

That means Barca will only be able to spend 25 percent of any savings they can make. pic.twitter.com/9EidkjtaEI

— Kristian Sturt (@FootieWriter) July 13, 2022

But despite the ongoing issues surrounding their finances, the Catalan giants continue to spend large chunks of cash in the transfer market.

Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen have arrived at the Camp Nou but they cannot be registered because Barcelona do not meet the league's financial fair play criteria.

The club have also recently brought in Raphinha from Leeds for a reported £55 million.