According to a report from Bild, FC Barcelona have decided to submit an actual, official written offer for Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski, totaling around 32 million euros. This is below Bayern’s reported 40m euro valuation of the player, so it’s unlikely that this initial offer will allow the transfer to go ahead. Instead, expect this to be the first in a long series of negotiations between the two FCBs.
At least this puts Barca’s intentions for the transfer well beyond doubt. This isn’t a smokescreen — they’re looking to land their man. Now, €32m would be a tempting offer for any ordinary striker, especially one that is 33-years-old — BUT we’re not talking about any old striker here. Robert Lewandowski is the best striker in the world by some margin, and Bayern have no one on the squad who can replace him. Stuttgart’s Sasa Kalajdzic has been mentioned as a potential replacement, but the young Austrian is unlikely to replicate Lewandowski’s impact on the team (at least in the short term).
We’ve heard from the Bayern bosses that they definitely intend to keep Robert Lewandowski until the end of his contract, which expires in 2023. Clearly, Barcelona think there’s some wiggle room in that statement. The Catalans must believe that Bayern will consent to a sale if the price is right, and this initial €32m offer is simply the first step in negotiations. Assuming that Bayern rejects the offer — a fair assumption, given what we know — then Barcelona will have to come back with a bigger pot of money next time.
How far will they go? How much can they even afford? Guess we’ll find out soon enough, as this transfer saga doesn’t seem like it’ll go away any time soon.
