Robert Lewandowski could have earned €200 million over two seasons in Saudi Arabia. Instead, the Poland captain remained at Barcelona and waited for the opportunity to extend a spell he hoped would last until the end of his European career.
That extension never arrived on terms he could accept. Barcelona president Joan Laporta wanted Lewandowski to remain, but sporting director Deco and head coach Hansi Flick could not guarantee that the striker would continue as a regular starter.
Lewandowski ultimately left Spain as a free agent and joined Chicago Fire. The decision placed him in Major League Soccer rather than the Premier League, despite enquiries from figures connected to English clubs.
The offer that disappeared while he waited
According to Sebastian Staszewski’s interview with Pini Zahavi for WP SportoweFakty, Lewandowski received a Saudi proposal in January 2026 worth €100 million per season. The contract would have lasted two years, taking its total value to €200 million.
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The offer appealed to Lewandowski for reasons beyond the money. Riyadh offered a smaller time difference with Warsaw and a shorter journey back to Poland than the one he would eventually face from the United States.
Lewandowski nevertheless chose not to accept. His priority remained Barcelona, and he was prepared to sacrifice the Saudi contract for another season at the club.
That decision came with a significant risk. Zahavi said he warned the striker that the same financial package was unlikely to remain available during the summer, and the Saudi market subsequently changed its approach to spending.
Premier League interest was immediately rejected
Lewandowski was not short of admirers as his Barcelona contract approached its conclusion. Zahavi said people he knew in the Premier League contacted him to ask whether a move to England could be possible.
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Those conversations never developed into negotiations. The agent immediately informed the interested parties that Lewandowski was not considering England as the next destination of his career.
No Premier League clubs were named, making it impossible to determine how advanced or serious the enquiries were. What is clear is that Lewandowski’s representatives had already narrowed the realistic options to Barcelona, the Gulf region and the United States.
The decision denied English audiences the possibility of seeing one of the defining goalscorers of his generation in the Premier League. Lewandowski had already conquered the Bundesliga and La Liga, but England was never part of his final European plan.
Laporta wanted him, but the sporting plan had changed
Laporta remained personally supportive of Lewandowski. Zahavi said the Barcelona president wanted the striker to spend another season at Camp Nou and continued to regard him as an important figure in the club’s recent recovery.
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The final decision was not Laporta’s alone. Deco and Flick were responsible for shaping the squad, and neither could promise Lewandowski the starting position that he considered essential.
That role mattered more to the striker than the salary. Lewandowski was prepared to accept less money, but he was not prepared to become a permanent substitute after spending his career as the focal point of elite teams.
Barcelona later confirmed in its official announcement of his departure that he would leave after four seasons, 119 goals and seven trophies. The club praised his leadership, professionalism and influence during a period of reconstruction. fered something Europe could not
Chicago Fire pursued Lewandowski for approximately a year. Zahavi described the MLS club as more determined, patient and creative than any of the other teams involved in the process.
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The agent claimed Chicago offered Lewandowski the second highest contract in MLS, behind only Lionel Messi. WP SportoweFakty reported that the agreement was worth close to $40 million across two years, although Chicago did not disclose the salary in its own announcement.
The official Chicago Fire statement confirmed that Lewandowski joined as a Designated Player on a contract running through the 2027–28 MLS season. Head coach and director of football Gregg Berhalter presented the signing as evidence that Chicago intended to compete for championships. also offer something Barcelona no longer could, the feeling that an entire project was being built around him. For a player who still wanted to lead rather than simply collect another contract, that became decisive.
He chose importance over the largest offer
Lewandowski’s move to MLS can easily be presented as the final lucrative step of an extraordinary career. Zahavi’s account suggests a more complicated story.
The striker rejected the largest offer because he wanted Barcelona. He then rejected possible English interest because the Premier League was not part of his plan, while Barcelona could no longer guarantee the role he demanded.
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Chicago did not win the race by offering the most money. It won because it made Lewandowski feel more wanted than any other club.
The decision cost him the possibility of earning €200 million in Saudi Arabia. It may also have given Chicago the type of global figure it has spent years trying to attract.
