{"id":62374,"date":"2026-07-29T03:43:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T03:43:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/62374\/"},"modified":"2026-07-29T03:43:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T03:43:15","slug":"pini-zahavi-lewandowski-turned-down-e200-million-in-january-to-stay-at-barcelona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/62374\/","title":{"rendered":"Pini Zahavi: &#8220;Lewandowski turned down \u20ac200 million in January to stay at Barcelona&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Robert Lewandowski wanted to remain at Barcelona for another season, and club president Joan Laporta was equally keen for him to stay. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That is according to the striker\u2019s agent, Pini Zahavi, who explained the circumstances behind Lewandowski\u2019s departure in an interview with Sebastian Staszewski for SportoweFakty (via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sport.es\/es\/noticias\/barca\/pini-zahavi-lewandowski-rechazo-200-132863919\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">SPORT<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zahavi discussed the reasons behind the forward\u2019s exit, the offers he received and why he ultimately chose to continue his career in Major League Soccer. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He also suggested that Lewandowski could one day return to Barcelona in a different role, following a conversation with Laporta.<\/p>\n<p>Laporta wanted Lewandowski to stay<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zahavi, who maintains a close relationship with the Barcelona president, revealed that Laporta was eager for Lewandowski to remain at the club.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou know that Joan Laporta adores him, really! And he wanted Robert to play at Camp Nou for one more year. I spoke to him about it in December, and he told me then: \u2018I want Robert to stay.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"667\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fc-barcelona-v-real-betis-balompie-laliga-ea-sports-2-3-1024x667.jpg\" alt=\"Robert Lewandowski of FC Barcelona\" class=\"wp-image-200268\"  \/>Lewandowski left Barcelona as a free agent. (Photo by Eric Alonso\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, Laporta chose not to interfere with decisions being made by the sporting department and coaching staff.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey\u2019re the ones who decide the squad. And they couldn\u2019t guarantee Robert a place in the starting eleven, which was more important to him than even the money,\u201d Zahavi explained.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Zahavi, Lewandowski\u2019s desire to remain an important player ultimately influenced his decision to leave.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou know him \u2013 he always wants to play, to be a key player in the team. However, Deco and Hansi had different visions for Robert\u2019s future at Barcelona, so at a certain point we began to consider other options.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From that moment, the striker\u2019s future gradually moved away from Camp Nou.<\/p>\n<p>Laporta: \u201cHe saved Barcelona\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite his departure, Zahavi insists the relationship between Lewandowski and Barcelona remains extremely positive.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The agent revealed another conversation with Laporta that left a lasting impression.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHe said to me: \u2018Tell Robert that we want him. He\u2019s part of our history \u2013 the man who saved Bar\u00e7a\u2019. Do you get it? \u2018He saved Bar\u00e7a\u2019 \u2013 that\u2019s exactly what he said.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/fc-barcelona-unveil-new-signing-robert-lewandowski-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Robert Lewandowski of FC Barcelona\" class=\"wp-image-199911\"  \/>Laporta adores Lewandowski. (Photo by Eric Alonso\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those comments convinced Zahavi that Lewandowski would always have a place at the club.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat\u2019s why I believe that if he ever wants to work for Bar\u00e7a, there\u2019ll be a place for him there,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>Lewandowski rejected a \u20ac200 million Saudi offer<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Polish striker had the opportunity to leave Barcelona several months earlier but chose not to.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zahavi disclosed that in January this year Lewandowski received a two-year offer from Saudi Arabia worth \u20ac100 million per season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn January 2026, Robert had a two-year offer on the table worth 100 million euros per season,\u201d explained the agent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When asked why the proposal was rejected, Zahavi gave a straightforward answer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBecause he wanted to play for Barcelona.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chicago Fire chapter<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lewandowski was never interested in moving to England, Germany or France. Within Europe, <a href=\"https:\/\/barcauniversal.com\/robert-lewandowski-i-didnt-want-to-play-for-any-other-team-in-europe-than-barcelona\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Barcelona remained the only club he was prepared to represent<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1785296595_751_inter-miami-cf-v-chicago-fire-fc-1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Robert Lewandowski of Chicago Fire\" class=\"wp-image-206704\"  \/>A new chapter in the MLS. (Photo by Leonardo Fernandez\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the end, he signed for MLS club Chicago Fire, who had been pursuing the veteran striker for over a year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Fire executives fought harder than anyone else for him. It is rare for a club to want a player so much. They were patient, determined and creative. They did everything possible to convince Lewandowski. Everything,\u201d said Lewandowski.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lewandowski signed a two-year deal worth approximately $40 million in total. According to Zahavi, it is the second-highest contract in the league, behind only Lionel Messi\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zahavi believes Lewandowski can have a transformative impact similar to the one he made after arriving at Barcelona during a difficult period for the club.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen \u2018Lewy\u2019 arrived at Barcelona, they were in a critical situation, with serious financial problems. But Robert took the risk and helped them return to the top. I believe he can follow a similar path with the Fire.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Robert Lewandowski wanted to remain at Barcelona for another season, and club president Joan Laporta was equally keen&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":62375,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[92,222,1329,223,935],"class_list":["post-62374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-barcelona","tag-barcelona","tag-barcelona-news","tag-chicago-fire","tag-fc-barcelona","tag-robert-lewandowski"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62374"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62374\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}