Bayern Munich have confirmed Robert Lewandowski will join Barcelona after the clubs reached a verbal agreement for his transfer on Saturday.
Lewandowski, 33, has twice won the Golden Boot for Europe’s leading goal scorer and finished as runner-up for the 2021 Ballon d’Or. He will join Barca for a €45 million fee, with an additional €5 million in variables, sources have told ESPN.
The Poland international is expected to join up with his new teammates on Barca’s preseason tour of the United States, which begins this week.
Bayern chief executive Oliver Kahn said in a statement: “We have agreed to release Robert Lewandowski. We have a verbal agreement with FC Barcelona, the contract is still pending.
“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.”
Earlier on Saturday, Bayern president Herbert Hainer confirmed the verbal agreement, saying the club were “incredibly grateful for his service.”
Lewandowski will join Pablo Torre, Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen and Raphinha as additions as Barcelona look to build a squad to compete for LaLiga and the Champions League under coach Xavi Hernandez.
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ESPN reported last month that Barca had made a series of bids for Lewandowski, who had a year left on his contract, but they were unable to convince Bayern until progress was finally made in talks this week.
Elsewhere, Frenkie de Jong has been included in Barcelona’s preseason tour to the States amid interest from Manchester United. Sources told ESPN that United are prepared to wait until the transfer deadline on Sept. 1 to force the deal through.
Meanwhile, Bayern have confirmed that midfielder Serge Gnabry has signed a new contract until 2026.
ESPN’s Sam Marsden, Moises Llorens, Alex Kirkland and Rob Dawson contributed to this report.
