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A strange clause in the contract of Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski may allow him to leave the La Liga winners in 2025 on a free transfer.
Lewandowski bid farewell to Bayern Munich after eight years of record-breaking performances, leaving the German champions in a €45 million (£38.6 million) deal to join Barcelona.
The 35-year-old had an incredibly successful first season at Camp Nou, tallying 33 goals overall and setting a league record 23 goals in La Liga to aid Barcelona in winning the championship.
With eight goals and four assists from 16 appearances in La Liga and the Champions League, Lewandowski has continued where he left off at the beginning of the 2023–24 season. His contract is set to expire in 2026, with an option to extend it by one year.
Barcelona apparently consented to raise Lewandowski’s compensation every season he plays with the Catalan giants, beginning with a €20 million (£17.2 million) salary for 2022–2023—despite their well-documented financial woes.
Since then, the Poland international’s salary has increased to €26 million (£22.3 million) annually. If he stays with the team for a third season, he would receive €32 million (£27.5 million) for that campaign.
But Sport says Barcelona can end Lewandowski’s contract in 2025 under specific circumstances to protect themselves from possible financial ruin if the striker’s abilities decline.
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According to the article, La Blaugrana has the option to terminate his contract in the last year of his current contract, 2024–25, if he does not participate for at least 45 minutes in five hundred fifty percent of their games.
In the event that the former Dortmund player is unable to live up to his exceptionally high standards over the next few years, the option gives Barcelona and Lewandowski a way out. However, his salary is expected to drop to €26 million (£22.3 million) for the 2024–2025 campaign.
Given his age, Lewandowski is now Barcelona’s sole centre-forward on the books, but Xavi’s team is expected to look into possible replacements in the coming months.
The head coach of Barcelona has admitted that, after signing Joao Felix on loan from Diego Simeone’s team, he attempted to persuade Alvaro Morata of Atletico Madrid to join the team.
Felix has been playing a backup role to Lewandowski in the 2023–24 season, but President Joan Laporta has talked up a permanent deal for him at the end of the campaign.
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Next year, a contract to sign Vitor Roque, a starlet for Atletico Paranaense, will also go through. However, it is not anticipated that the 18-year-old would start for Barcelona every week right away.
Seven points behind leaders Real Madrid in the La Liga standings, Xavi’s team is currently in fourth place. They will be back in action on Sunday night when they take on Atletico Madrid.
