Robert Lewandowski’s agent Pini Zahavi says that Joan Laporta wanted the striker to stay at Barcelona for another year but Hansi Flick and Deco had other ideas.
The veteran striker said a tearful goodbye to Barcelona at the end of last season when his contract expired, and Zahavi has explained how his exit came about.
“You know Joan Laporta adores him, he really does! And he wanted Robert to play at Camp Nou for another year. I spoke to him about it in December, and he told me then: ‘I want Robert to stay.’
But Laporta, and I’ve been friends with him for over 30 years, doesn’t interfere with coaches’ work,” he told WP SportoweFakty.
“The sporting director and the coach—Deco and Hansi Flick—decide on the squad. And they couldn’t guarantee Robert a starting spot, which was more important to him than even money.
“You know him, he always wants to play, to be a force in the team. However, Deco and Hansi had different visions for Robert’s future at Barcelona, so at a certain point we started considering other options.”
Zahavi also says that Lewandowski turned down a lucrative offer to move to Saudi Arabia in the winter transfer window.
“It’s true, Robert wanted to play in Saudi Arabia. Primarily because of the convenience of living: the short time difference between Riyadh and Warsaw, and a shorter distance to Poland than to the USA,” he added.
“We also knew there was a lot of money waiting for us there. After all, in January 2026, Robert had a two-year offer on the table, worth €100 million per season!”
Zahavi was then quizzed on why Lewandowski turned down the deal and replied: “Because he wanted to play for FC Barcelona.
Lewandowski has since moved on to MLS and Chicago Fire and another lucrative contract which Zahavi says is “the second-highest contract in MLS, right after Leo Messi. Chicago really wanted Robert…”
