"I should remind you, I agreed to sign Dani Alves" - Xavi offers interesting assessment when quizzed about Barcelona target Lewandowski's age
Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has said that 'age is not an obstacle' when questioned about the club's interest in Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski. The Blaugrana are reportedly eager to sign a top-quality striker and have identified the 33-year-old as one of their top transfer targets, as per The Mirror.
The Polish hitman is widely considered one of the best strikers of his generation. He has scored 343 goals in 373 appearances for Bayern Munich across competitions.
Lewandowski has won eight consecutive Bundesliga titles, three DFB Pokal and a Champions League title. However, fans and pundits have questioned Barcelona's interest in the forward due to his age and the fact that he's approaching the twilight of his career.
Xavi, though, pointed to the success of Brazilian right-back Dani Alves. The 39-year-old joined the Blaugrana in January and has had an immediate impact.
The Spaniard has compared Lewandowski with the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric, who have had a massive impact on their respective clubs, despite their age. Xavi said, as per barcauniversal:
"I'm not going to talk about Lewandowski now. But I should remind you, I agreed to sign Dani Alves. All we care about is the professional mentality. Players like Zlatan, Modric, Ronaldo, Messi... they are still playing at a high level. Age is not an obstacle."
Lewandowski has aged like fine wine. The 33-year-old has scored 152 goals in 142 appearances in his last three seasons with Bayern Munich. He scored 13 goals in just 10 UEFA Champions League games this season.
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Barcelona could part ways with Memphis Depay to sign Robert Lewandowski
Memphis Depay joined the Blaugrana on a free transfer last summer. The Dutch forward enjoyed an impressive start to life at the Camp Nou, scoring eight goals in his first 15 La Liga appearances.
However, he has fallen down the pecking order since the arrival of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January. The former Manchester United winger's game time could diminish even further if Robert Lewandowski arrives this summer.
Barcelona are willing to sell Memphis Depay this summer if they receive the right fee. However, they are happy for him to stay and would renew his contract if an offer doesn't come in.
🚨 Barcelona are willing to sell Memphis Depay this summer if they receive the right fee. However, they are happy for him to stay and would renew his contract if an offer doesn't come in.
(Source: @santiovalle) https://t.co/OGu9IEmuly
According to Dailymail, Depay has interest from Tottenham Hotspur and Napoli. The Blaugrana could be open to the prospect of selling the 28-year-old to raise the funds required to sign Lewandowski.