Lewandowski is 37 years old, his contract with Barcelona expires in June, and — according to media reports — offers from MLS, Saudi Arabia, Juventus, and AC Milan are on the table. The question all Poles are asking today is: will the best Polish footballer in history end his career in the United States?
621 goals and one empty spot in the trophy cabinet
Robert Lewandowski is the most effective foreign goal scorer in Bundesliga history, Bayern Munich’s record holder (344 goals), an eight-time top scorer in the German league, a Champions League winner in 2020, and a FIFA Best award laureate in 2020 and 2021. In his career, he has scored 621 goals in 846 matches — for Lech Poznań, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, and FC Barcelona. For the Polish national team, he is the all-time top scorer with over eighty goals.
But there is one empty spot in his trophy cabinet: success at the World Cup. At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Poland was eliminated in the group stage — without a win, with one point. In 2022 in Qatar, the team advanced from the group but lost in the Round of 16 to France 1:3. Now — in 2026 — they didn’t even qualify for the tournament. Lewandowski, who scored a total of two goals at the World Cup (both in Qatar), has never played a match in a major tournament’s knockout stage that Poland won. For the best striker of his generation — this is a paradox that defines his national team career.
Barcelona: stay, but for half the price
Lewandowski’s contract with FC Barcelona expires on June 30, 2026. Over the last months of the 2025/26 season, his playing time under coach Hansi Flick steadily decreased — five consecutive matches on the bench between January and February signaled that Lewandowski’s era at Barcelona was nearing its end. But at the turn of March, the club changed course. According to the newspaper “Sport,” Barcelona offered Lewandowski a new contract with a salary reduction of about half — with the possibility of increasing earnings through performance bonuses. President Joan Laporta publicly expressed his desire to keep the Pole, and relations between the player’s camp (agent Pini Zahavi) and the club’s management are — according to media — the best in years.
Lewandowski said in an interview with Sky Sports: “I don’t feel pressure. At 30, that feeling would be different. But now I don’t need to know. I have patience. I’ll give myself about three months to decide.” In a conversation with The Athletic, he added: “I’m not even fifty percent sure which way I want to go. This is not the moment for that decision.”
MLS: Chicago Fire in the lead, not NYCFC
Contrary to rumors linking Lewandowski with New York’s NYCFC — similar to Messi’s transfer to Inter Miami — New York is not the main contender from MLS. According to reports from Sky Sport Germany, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated, Chicago Fire is closest to signing Lewandowski — a club led by Gregg Berhalter (former US national team coach), in a city with the largest Polish diaspora in America.
Chicago is a logical choice. Nearly a million people of Polish descent in the metropolitan area, developed Polish infrastructure, Polish restaurants, churches, media, and schools. Lewandowski in Chicago is not just a football transfer — it’s a cultural event comparable in scale to Messi’s arrival in Miami. The Fire have a vacant Designated Player spot and — according to sources — do not consider Lewandowski’s salary an obstacle. Gregg Berhalter has reportedly already held preliminary talks with the player’s entourage.
Other MLS clubs monitoring the situation include Inter Miami (payroll complications), LAFC (Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga already in attack), LA Galaxy (idea for a reunion with Marco Reus), and Sporting Kansas City (new owner with a budget for a star). NYCFC — although looking for a number 9 striker — does not appear in credible transfer reports as a real contender. The club is building Etihad Park stadium for 2027 and is focusing on younger transfers within the City Football Group.
Europe and Arabia: what else is on the table
Juventus and AC Milan have expressed interest — Lewandowski as a free agent means zero transfer costs and an immediate return in goals and marketing. Douglas Costa, a former Bayern teammate, publicly encouraged him to join Juventus. From Saudi Arabia — Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr sounded out the possibility of a transfer, but according to media, Lewandowski’s family prefers the United States over the Persian Gulf. Fenerbahçe offered 10 million euros for an immediate transfer as early as December 2025 — Lewandowski refused.
What this means for Polonia
If Lewandowski indeed goes to MLS — regardless of the club — it will be the most important Polish transfer in the history of American soccer. Messi changed the face of Inter Miami and the entire league. Lewandowski could do the same — especially if he goes to Chicago, where the Polish community has been waiting for something like this for decades.
For Poland.us and Piłka Polonii, this is a topic we will follow week by week. The contract with Barcelona expires on June 30. By then — a decision must be made. Lewandowski gave himself three months. The clock is ticking.
Kamil Brzozowski, poland.us
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