Barcelona star turned down €200m offer from Saudi Arabia in January | OneFootball

Earlier this summer, Robert Lewandowski left Barcelona after four successful years to join MLS side Chicago Fire. The veteran striker could be set to end his career in the United States, although he could have ended up in Saudi Arabia.

As per MD, Lewandowski’s agent Pini Zahavi revealed in an interview with SportoweFakty that the 37-year-old received a very lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia back in January.

“Robert had a two-year offer on the table worth €100m per season. Robert wanted to play in Saudi Arabia. Mainly because of the convenience of living there: the small time difference between Riyadh and Warsaw, and the shorter distance to Poland compared to the United States. We also knew that a lot of money was waiting for us.”

It was a big decision for Lewandowski, with Zahavi explaining that it would be a once-in-a-lifetime offer from the Middle East. But in the end, he turned it down in order to see out the rest of the 2025-26 season with Barcelona.

“The Saudis have changed their approach to spending. He had known about it for several months. I spoke with the directors of Al-Ittihad, for example, and with people from Qatar. The war also complicated the situation. A year ago, everything would have been completely different. So I was honest with Robert and finally said, ‘I have to be honest with you. I know everyone there, I know the market and I see that the situation is going to be difficult‘.”

Zahavi explains why Lewandowski left Barcelona

Lewandowski did have an offer on the table to remain at Barcelona for one more season, although Zahavi explained that it was rejected due to there being no guarantee that the Poland international would continue to be a regular starter going forward.

“You know that Joan Laporta adores him, really! And I wanted Robert to play at the Camp Nou for another year. I talked to him about this in December, and he said then, ‘I want Robert to stay’. But Laporta, and I have been a friend of his for more than 30 years, does not interfere in the work of the coaches. The sporting director and the coach – Deco and Hansi Flick – are the ones who decide the squad. And they couldn’t guarantee Robert a place in the starting eleven, which was more important to him than even money. You know him, he always wants to play, to be a key player in the team. However, Deco and Hansi had different visions for Robert’s future at Barcelona, so at a certain point we started to consider other options.”