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Robert Lewandowski offered himself to Real Madrid before joining Barcelona at the end of last season, as per journalist Jorge C. Picon of Relevo.
In the report, Picon narrates the story of how the Poland international reportedly wanted to leave the Bavarian giants in the summer of 2021. He wanted a change of scenery and relayed this desire to his agent, Pini Zahavi.
The agent contacted different clubs starting with Real Madrid. Lewandowski wanted to move to the Santiago Bernabeu as soon as possible and was willing to wait until the summer of 2022 to make a move happen.
However, he was immediately rejected by the Chamartin outfit. The then 33-year-old was too old for their liking and they were also fully immersed in their pursuit of Kylian Mbappe.
Madrid preferred to continue with Karim Benzema, who went on to win the 2022 Ballon d'Or after registering 44 goals and 15 assists in 46 games across competitions last term.
Mbappe, meanwhile, ended up extending his contract with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for three years on May 21. Two months later, Lewandowski joined Barcelona for a transfer fee of €45 million.
Since then, the 10-time Bundesliga winner has scored 19 goals and provided four assists in 21 games in all competitions. Benzema, meanwhile, has been reduced to playing just 808 minutes in the league spread across nine matches this season.
He has, however, made the most of the time he has been on the pitch, scoring eight La Liga goals and providing one assist. He is, however, in the last six months of his contract at the club.
Manchester United's Marcus Rashford has been touted as one of the potential candidates to become the Frenchman's successor at the Bernabeu.
Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski prepares for second El Clasico as Real Madrid challenge awaits
Robert Lewandowski's El Clasico debut was one to forget.
Despite providing an assist for Ferran Torres' goal, his team lost 3-1 against Real Madrid in Spain's capital on 16 October. Benzema, Federico Valverde, and Rodrygo got on the scoresheet for the hosts.
That defeat hasn't stopped Barca from opening up a three-point lead between themselves and Merengues after 16 games. The two teams are scheduled to collide once again later today (15 January), but this time in the Supercopa de Espana final.
Barcelona have won the competition a record 13 times, while Madrid have won it on 12 occasions, including last year.
