"He would be more than welcome" - Luis Garcia claims 'any team would be happy' to sign extraordinary player linked with Barcelona
Former Barcelona forward Luis Garcia has expressed his honest opinion on rumors linking Robert Lewandowski with a potential move to Camp Nou. The Bayern Munich forward has a contract with the German champions until 2023 but is believed to be unhappy with the offer to extend his stay.
According to ESPN (via Sport), Bayern have proposed the idea of extending his contract by one more year. However, it has left Lewandowski disappointed as he believes he can still play at the highest level for a few more years. It has also been claimed that the financial proposal is also not in line with his demands.
With uncertainty over his future, Lewandowski has emerged as a target for Barcelona. The Catalan giants are aiming to leverage his contract standoff with Bayern in their favor.
Understandably, Barcelona are cash-strapped due to years of financial mismanagement and are waiting to see if Bayern decide to let Lewandowski leave in a cut-price deal this summer.
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In the wake of the rumors, Garcia put forward his opinion on the potential transfer. Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda during a global conference hosted by La Liga, he stated:
“Any team would be happy to sign Lewandowski. He is in conversation with Bayern Munich to extend his contract, but there is also the possibility of him leaving the club. Barcelona would be interested in signing him."
Garcia touched upon how Lewandowski has not allowed standards to drop despite his age. The Spaniard referred to the 33-year-old striker as someone who has 'aged like fine wine' and backed him to extend his career for a few more years:
"He is a very experienced player and another one who has aged like fine wine. Back in the past, players of his age were nearing retirement, they can now extend their careers for a few more years."
He concluded by hailing Lewandowski's extraordinary performances in the Bundesliga and reiterated how the Poland captain will be more than welcome at Camp Nou:
"Lewandowski doesn’t have to run that much from box to box, he moves around the box and tries to score from inside the box. He has scored 30 or 40 goals for many seasons in the Bundesliga, which is quite extraordinary. If there was a possibility of bringing him to Barcelona, he would be more than welcome.”
Barcelona seal Champions League qualification for next season
Earlier in the ongoing campaign, Barcelona were handed a huge blow when they failed to progress beyond the group stages of the Champions League.
The Catalans bowed out of Group E in third place, behind Bayern Munich and Benfica, after what proved to be a forgetful campaign. Despite dropping down to the Europa League, the Spanish giants were unable to go all the way in the competition.
Barcelona are qualified for the next edition of the Champions League.
We're back 🔙⚽ https://t.co/Xlb7ZsXMl3
Xavi and company were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Eintracht Frankfurt, who have now reached the finals set to be played against Rangers. Considering their shortcomings in Europe this term, the Blaugrana will be determined to make amends.
The La Liga giants have taken the first step towards it by securing their berth in the competition next season. It was confirmed following their last-gasp 2-1 win over Real Betis on Saturday.
Barcelona will face Celta Vigo, Getafe and Villarreal before the season ends.