Saudi Arabia willing to pay up to €50 million to sign Barcelona superstar in January – Reports

Saudi Arabia are reportedly prepared to lodge a €50 million offer to sign Barcelona superstar Robert Lewandowski in the upcoming winter transfer window.

Since the start of this summer, Saudi Arabia's plans to attract the world's best stars have been quite successful due to Public Investment Fund's (PIF) ownership stake in four of their clubs. The fund owns a 75% share in Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, Al-Ahli and Al Hilal, helping them break the bank to rope in world-renowned footballers from all of Europe.

So far, the Saudi Pro League has signed top players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Neymar Jr, N'Golo Kante, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Riyad Mahrez and Fabinho among others. They have also been linked with Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne of late.

According to Fichajes, Saudi Arabia are set to launch an expensive switch to snap up Lewandowski on a permanent deal. They are aiming to table a €50 million offer for the former Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund striker as soon as the winter transfer window opens.

Meanwhile, Barcelona could be tempted to offload the 35-year-old attacker due to his growing age and their own ongoing financial problems. They are still said to be keen to reduce their wage bill in the future.

Lewandowski, on the other hand, could also secure a permanent switch to the Gulf state to bag a final big payday. He would be able to get assured first-team minutes and be able to keep himself in good form and physical fitness for next year's UEFA European Championship.

A right-footed elite poacher, the 143-cap Poland international has opened the new campaign on a fine note so far. He has scored two goals and laid out one assist in four La Liga matches for his club this season.

Overall, Lewandowski has scored 35 goals in 50 games across all competitions for Barcelona. He has also provided nine assists since arriving from Bayern Munich in 2022, lifting two trophies for his current team.

Could Barcelona sell Robert Lewandowski?

Barcelona currently have Robert Lewandowski as their outright first-choice number nine in their squad. They could also opt to rely on summer loan signing Joao Felix or Ferran Torres as an emergency centre-forward.

However, the Blaugrana could decide to offload the aging forward next January if a significant bid is received. They have already acquired Vitor Roque's services from Athletico Paranaense as an apt replacement for the 10-time Bundesliga winner for a fee of around €40 million.

Apart from having a potential successor waiting on the wings, Barcelona could let Lewandowski depart to cut short on their salary expenditures. They have allegedly tied down the Warsaw-born attacker on a comparatively exorbitant €400,000-per-week deal until June 2026.