Barcelona prepared to sell superstar forward if they receive lucrative offer in the summer - Reports
Spanish giants Barcelona are reportedly willing to sell legendary forward Robert Lewandowski this summer, according to reports from The Athletic.
The Polish veteran has struggled to reach the heights he showed at Bayern Munich since making the switch to Camp Nou two summers ago. Lewandowski has, however, registered 18 goals and six assists for the Blaugrana in 34 games across all competitions this season.
He has even managed to score five goals in his last four games. His latest goal came against Napoli away in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first leg on February 21.
Meanwhile, The Athletic suggest that Barcelona could still cash in on the 35-year-old striker should they receive a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia.
It's no news that Barca are experiencing a financial crisis. Lewandowski appears to be one of the players they could use to raise funds in the transfer market.
However, one major challenge the Catalans could face would be Lewandowski's current contract, which is expected to run until 2025. It also has an option to extend by a further year.
The Athletic further revealed that the Polish captain seems to be very happy at Camp Nou. He is currently not nursing any ambition of leaving Barcelona next summer.
Lewandowski has contributed 51 goals and 14 assists in 80 games for Barca. He also won the Pichichi Trophy last season (his first at the club), scoring 23 goals.
Xavi Hernandez reacts to Barcelona's draw against Napoli
The Catalan giants played out a 1-1 draw against Napoli at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in the Champions Round of 16 first leg on February 21.
Barcelona opened the scoring through Lewandowski in the 60th minute. They were pegged back 15 minutes later, as Victor Osimhen equalised in the 75th minute.
Barcelona had 51% possession and attempted 12 shots with six being on target as compared to Napoli's six attempts with one being on target. They completed 412 passes with 85% accuracy as compared to Napoli's 380 with 82% accuracy.
Reacting to his side's performance, Xavi said that Barcelona deserved more from the encounter but, lacked the ability to control the game after taking the lead. He said via Barca Blaugranes:
"We deserved more. Our strategy worked well and we were leading 1-0. What we lacked was the ability to calm down and control a tough game with that scoreline. Because we didn’t put the game ‘to sleep’, and remember this is the Champions League, our rivals score with their first effort on target!
He continued:
“We should have been keeping the ball and moving the play into their half but, overall, my team put in a good performance.We had chances for more. We produced good transitions and I’m pleased that so much of the match went the way we visualised it and planned for. Now we’ll give a big push to go through in front of our fans.”
The second leg will be played on March 12.