One of the most frequently mentioned destinations is Chicago Fire, a Major League Soccer club from a city with one of the largest Polish communities in the world. According to American media, the club is rolling out the red carpet for the Pole. How much of this is a real chance, and how much is marketing theater? And why Chicago, specifically?
What is already known, and what is not yet
To start concretely, Lewandowski’s departure from Barcelona was official in May of 2026. Both the club and the player himself, who bid farewell to fans with a social media post, have confirmed it. His contract expires at the end of June, and the striker enters the transfer market as a free agent. As reported by ESPN, among others, clubs from Europe, Saudi Arabia, and the United States, including Chicago Fire FC, are interested in Lewandowski.
The rest requires speculation, as it is based on media reports, not official announcements. According to American media, Lewandowski visited Chicago last weekend, and billboards welcoming him to the city reportedly appeared along the route from the airport to downtown. The same sources describe the negotiations as serious but not finalized, mentioning a two- or three-year contract with an estimated salary of fifteen to twenty million dollars per season. None of these figures or details have been officially confirmed, and the player himself is still considering other offers.
It must be said directly: as of this writing, a transfer to Chicago is not yet a done deal.
Why Chicago desires him so much
Chicago Fire’s determination has a history. It has been nine years since the Chicago Fire last secured a comparable high-profile international signing, when Bastian Schweinsteiger joined the club before departing in 2019. Ever since, Chicago has been unsuccessfully searching for a world-class star. The club unsuccessfully pursued several big names in world football, while league competitors brought in players like Lionel Messi to Inter Miami or Son Heung-min, the Tottenham star who joined Los Angeles FC in 2025 for a record MLS fee. For Chicago, this is a chance to finally break that streak with what would rank as one of, if not the biggest transfer in the club’s history.
The main driver behind the potential transfer is coach Gregg Berhalter, former US national team coach, who publicly praised the Pole, placing his skills alongside those of Messi.
Polonia as the core of the strategy
Here we come to the matter that makes this transfer unique from a Polish perspective. As American sources indicate, Chicago Fire is building this offer, among other things, around the city’s enormous Polish community. This is no coincidence, Chicago has been one of the largest concentrations of Poles in the world for generations, and a Polish striker of this caliber is a magnet for this community that is hard to find elsewhere outside of other massive cities like New York.
And this is the key to understanding the entire calculation. MLS is still a relatively obscure league. Most viewership is still generated by the NFL, NBA, or NHL in American football, basketball, or hockey. In Chicago, fans traditionally feel more strongly about Bulls or Blackhawks games than soccer matches. But Lewandowski doesn’t have to convert the entire city. It’s enough for him to mobilize the Polish-American and immigrant audience, already a large portion of the Chicago population.
Obstacles to remember
However, high profile signings, especially in MLS, are not that simple. Chicago Fire is simultaneously interested in another former Bayern player, Leon Goretzka, and MLS rules on so-called Designated Players limit the number of star contracts a club can have on its roster. In practice, this means that bringing in both players at once would be difficult and would require unique contractual solutions or work arounds. Recently, however, MLS has become increasingly accommodating for clubs such as Inter Miami, allowing them to build a team around the signing of Lionel Messi.
There’s also a broader context. MLS has long been called a league where great European football stars move at the twilight of their careers. From David Beckham, who joined Los Angeles in 2007, through Zlatan Ibrahimović and Andrea Pirlo, to today’s biggest names such as the previously mentioned Messi. Lewandowski, who is 37 years old today, in a sense fits this pattern. As such, there is additional competition: other clubs are also vying for Lewandowski, and the decision ultimately rests with the player himself.
Or perhaps closer to New York?
It should be said from the outset that no sources currently link Lewandowski with New York City Football Club; as such, any discussion of a potential transfer to the club is purely speculative.
However, as an editorial team based in New York, we would love to see Lewandowski not only in Chicago, but also closer to us: in the sky-blue colors of NYCFC. The timing for such a transfer could not be better: the club is opening Etihad Park in the Willets Point neighborhood of Queens in 2027, the first soccer stadium in New York City history and one of the most modern facilities being built in the league.
Meanwhile, the current roster has a gap at striker that is being filled temporarily by other players. Additionally, NYCFC’s connection to the City Football Group, along with its relative hesitation to spend big in recent years, suggests that the club would be capable of offering a competitive salary.
From a business and marketing perspective, New York also offers clear advantages for Robert Lewandowski’s global brand. It is the financial center of the United States, maintains a strong Polish-American community, and boasts a powerful ecosystem of capital, funds and startups, second only to California in the USA.
So is it a dream, or realistic plan?
As of today, Lewandowski’s transfer to Chicago Fire remains one of the most exciting prospects, but also most uncertain, topics in American soccer. The club’s readiness, the coach’s support, the strength of the Polish-American community, and the atmosphere surrounding the 2026 World Cup in the United States all suggest that Chicago is prepared to go to great lengths to persuade the Polish star.
That said, the final decision ultimately rests with the player himself as a free agent, who is currently weighing offers from several parts of the world. For Chicago’s Polish community, the mere prospect of seeing Lewandowski in the club’s colors is already a source of excitement. Whether that prospect becomes reality is something we will learn in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, the 2026 World Cup will offer just as much excitement. While Poland unfortunately was not able to qualify, the United States plays today against Australia at 3:00 p.m. ET at Lumen Field in Seattle.
Artur Skok, Poland.US (Voice of Polonia in the USA). Based on official announcements and reports from American and Polish sports media. More about the life of Poles in the USA at poland.us. Polish business, organization, and event directory: PolishPages.com.
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