Benny Zahavi, the agent of Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, former Barcelona player, claimed that the striker lost 200 million euros because of the Catalan giant.
Lewandowski played for Barcelona for 4 seasons, winning 3 Spanish League titles, the same number of Spanish Super Cups, and one Spanish King's Cup title.
In January 2026, Lewandowski received a two-year offer worth 100 million euros per season and rejected it because he wanted to stay at Barcelona.
Lewandowski's agent said in statements to the newspaper "AS": "This offer was only available during the winter transfer window, and he could not have gotten it in the summer".
He added: "Robert wanted to play in Saudi Arabia due to the ease of living there, the short time difference between Riyadh and Warsaw, and its proximity to Poland compared to the United States. We also knew he would have a large amount of money, but that was not possible because he was waiting for Barcelona's offer. I told him he would not get this offer in the summer, but he decided to wait".
Regarding his departure from Barcelona, he explained: "Joan Laporta loves him incredibly and wanted Robert to stay at Camp Nou for another year. I spoke to him about this in December, and he told me at the time that he wanted Lewandowski to stay".
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He continued: "But Laporta does not interfere in the coaches' work. Deco and Hans Flick are the ones who decide the team's lineup, and they could not guarantee Robert a place in the starting lineup, which was more important to him than money. However, Deco and Hans had different visions for Robert's future at Barcelona".
Regarding the move to the American league, he added: "Chicago Fire's management did their utmost to convince him. It is rare for a team to want a player this much. It is hard to believe. They were patient and determined to sign him".
He went on: "They did everything they could to convince Lewandowski. They were not pretending to love him; they were great admirers of him and offered him the second-highest contract in the American league after Lionel Messi's. Chicago wanted Robert badly".
Regarding the options available in Italy: "I met with senior officials at Milan and spoke with Juventus's CEO because signing Robert Lewandowski would be a great deal for both clubs".
He revealed: "But frankly, Lewandowski was beyond their means. The Italian league is no longer the richest league in the world, and the situation there is very difficult at the moment".
Regarding Porto's interest: "This is true. I spoke personally with their management. I know Robert well and know what he was looking for. I knew he wanted to play football and feel like a leader".
He concluded: "Porto could have guaranteed him that, so it seemed like an interesting option. They wanted him badly and tried to convince him until the last moment, but he was not interested in Porto".
