Lewandowski Near Chicago Fire Move After Barcelona Exit — Report
Former Barcelona and Poland striker Robert Lewandowski is reportedly on the verge of joining Major League Soccer side Chicago Fire following the expiration of his contract at the Spanish club.
According to reports from the BBC, the 37-year-old is expected to sign a two-year contract with the MLS outfit, ending weeks of speculation surrounding his future after departing Barcelona at the close of the 2025/26 campaign.
Chicago Fire had publicly confirmed in December that discussions had taken place with Lewandowski over a potential switch to the United States, with the club maintaining interest in securing his signature.
The Polish international has remained on Chicago Fire’s MLS discovery list, giving the club exclusive rights to negotiate with him within the league unless another franchise agrees to compensate them.
Negotiations between both parties are understood to have progressed positively, with the veteran striker now edging closer to completing a move that would rank among the most high-profile signings in recent MLS history.
Lewandowski had also attracted interest from Italian giants AC Milan and clubs in the Saudi Pro League, but reports suggest Chicago Fire are now favourites to land the former Bayern Munich forward.
Should the move materialise, Lewandowski is expected to become one of the highest-paid players in Major League Soccer and provide a major boost to a club seeking to consolidate its resurgence.
His arrival would carry additional significance given Chicago’s sizeable Polish population, one of the largest outside Poland, potentially strengthening the club’s profile both commercially and competitively.
Chicago Fire are currently third in the MLS Eastern Conference and are looking to build on their return to the playoffs last season.
Lewandowski leaves European football after an illustrious career spanning nearly two decades.
He spent 12 seasons in Germany, representing Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, winning 10 Bundesliga titles and helping Bayern secure the UEFA Champions League crown in 2020.
The striker was widely regarded as the leading candidate for the 2020 Ballon d’Or before the award was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He later finished second in the 2021 Ballon d’Or rankings and won FIFA’s Best Men’s Player award in both 2020 and 2021.
Following his move to Barcelona in 2022, Lewandowski enjoyed another successful spell, helping the Catalan side win multiple domestic honours while scoring 120 goals in 193 appearances.
However, injuries limited his involvement during his final campaign at Camp Nou, where he started only 17 league matches.
Barcelona have since moved to reshape their attack, reportedly securing Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon and continuing to monitor developments surrounding Marcus Rashford and Harry Kane.
If completed, Lewandowski’s transfer would further underline MLS’ growing appeal to elite European stars seeking a new challenge in the latter stages of their careers.
