Getty Xavi will have Julian Araujo available from next season.
Barcelona announced on Saturday, July 16 that a deal has been agreed with Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich for the transfer of striker Robert Lewandowski.
The Catalan giants confirmed the news in a brief statement on the club’s official website:
“FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich have reached an agreement in principle for the transfer of Robert Lewandowski, dependent on the player passing a medical and contracts being signed.”
Lewandowski is the Catalans’ fifth signing of a busy transfer window. The Poland international joins Andreas Christensen, Franck Kessie, Raphinha, and youngster Pablo Torre in making the move to the Camp Nou this summer.
The striker will arrive for a fee of €45 million fee, with €5m in potential add-ons, according to ESPN. Lewandowski has spoken publicly on several occasions about his desire to leave Bayern for Barcelona and has now been granted his wish.
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Lewandowski To Join Barcelona US Tour
Lewandowski is now set to fly out to the United States to meet his new teammates. Barcelona jetted off to Miami hours before the deal was announced for a series of pre-season fixtures.
𝐒𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐃 𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓
US Summer Tour 🇺🇸
The striker told Torben Hoffmann at Sky Sport Germany that he will head to the States but will then return to Bayern Munich to say farewell to the club where he has played a starring role since joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2014, scoring 344 goals in 375 games.
“These eight years were special, you don’t forget that. I had a great time in Munich. I’m going to fly soon, but after the training camp, I will be back to say goodbye properly and organize a few things,” he said. “I said goodbye to the guys on the pitch today. I wasn’t worried about an injury in training. Something like that can happen even at home. I wanted to keep fit and train with the guys again.”
Lewandowski turns 34 in August but remains one of Europe’s most prolific strikers. The Pole netted 50 times in all competitions last season and has been named Best FIFA Men’s Player for the last two years.
Clasico Debut For Lewandowski?
Barcelona will be able to hand Lewandowski his debut while on their tour and it’s possible the striker could get his first minutes against bitter rivals Real Madrid when the two teams meet on Saturday, July 23.
The Catalans’ first game of the tour comes on Tuesday, July 19 against Inter Miami but the game may come too soon for Lewandowski who only returned to pre-season training at Bayern this week.
Barca will also have to cope without coach Xavi for the opening of their tour. The club have confirmed the coach has not flown out with the team because of “administrative reasons associated to his passport.”
Xavi is back in Barcelona for the time being but “is expected to join the rest of the squad in Miami in the next few days” once the issue has been resolved.
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