In demand on free 

©TM/IMAGO

Although he’s firmly in the twilight years of his incredible career, Robert Lewandowski is attracting significant interest after he confirmed his departure from Barcelona. The Polish international’s contract at the Catalan club expires this summer and there will be no renewal as confirmed by Lewandowski last month. “For me, this has been a very emotional and very difficult day,” he said. “When I arrived in Barcelona I knew that this club was big. Thanks to your love and support, I have had [an] incredible [time].”

Lewandowski was unquestionably one of the most prolific strikers of his generation and he can be proud of his record at Barca. The 37-year-old netted an impressive 120 goals in 193 appearances for the Spanish giants and lifted three LaLiga titles in four years. Barcelona are looking to the future and want to sign a new world-class striker this summer but Lewandowski won’t be short of offers and we’ve analysed five potential destinations.

Fenerbahce

Transfermarkt understands Fenerbahce have made an official approach to Lewandowski’s representatives in recent days. It may prove difficult to convince the Polish striker that a move to Türkiye is the best option available to him but Fener are determined to win the Süper Lig after a 13-year wait. The Istanbul giants will be able to afford a sizeable salary and Champions League football can be secured via the qualifiers.

Juventus

Juventus are in the market for a new striker this summer with Dušan Vlahović leaving on a free. Lewandowski is a target for the Old Lady and Serie A is the perfect major league for aging players to prolong their career at the highest level. After winning titles in Germany and Spain, the prospect of adding a Scudetto to his glittering trophy cabinet could appeal to Lewandowski. One major drawback of a potential move to Juve is that they failed to secure Champions League qualification next season.

AC Milan

AC Milan will propose an almost identical sales pitch to Juventus; enjoy the final few years of your career in a major league at an iconic club and help us return to former glories. AC could even get Luka Modrić to give Lewandowski a call to explain the benefits of Serie A with the Croatian midfielder still thriving in Italy at 40 years old. With Rafael Leao leaving, AC Milan need a new star attacker and Lewandowski could roll back the years by scoring bucket loads in the same vein as Zlatan Ibrahimović. Like Juve, however, AC Milan won’t be playing in the Champions League next season.

Manchester United

It’s been widely reported that Manchester United want to add an experienced striker to the squad to take the burden off Benjamin Sesko. There’s arguably not a better option to provide guidance to Sesko than Lewandowski and United have enjoyed relative success in signing aging strikers in recent history – Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani and Cristiano Ronaldo. Playing in the Premier League would undoubtedly appeal to Lewandowski and United would allow him to play for another of the world’s biggest clubs after Bayern Munich and Barcelona

MLS

If Lewandowski wants to ride off into the sunset and wave goodbye to his career at the highest level then there’s no better destination than the United States. MLS clubs can offer competitive salaries and the quality of life is extremely high at certain franchises. Chicago Fire seems the most realistic destination for Lewandowski, if he decides on the MLS and it would represent a new challenge.