Robert Lewandowski is close to accepting a concrete and official offer from Al-Hilal, with the Saudi club now the side most seriously talking to the 37-year-old forward. The reported package is worth 90 million euro per season, and the move would take him from Barcelona to the second-place team in the Saudi Pro League.
Tomasz Włodarczyk reported Wednesday morning that Lewandowski is close to deciding to leave Barcelona, with Saudi Arabia among the directions he is strongly considering. The timing matters because the striker’s future has been discussed for a long time, but the latest talks point to a real decision rather than another round of speculation.
Barcelona had been ready to keep Lewandowski for another season if he agreed to give up half of his salary. He was also told that his role would not change, and that he would still be used as a reserve player. That is the clearest sign yet of how sharply the club’s plans have shifted around a player who has been central to its attack but is now being asked to accept a much smaller place in the squad.
Al-Hilal’s pitch comes with a different kind of promise. The Saudi club has players such as Ruben Neves, Darwin Nunez and Karim Benzema, and it is coached by Simone Inzaghi. It also reached the quarterfinals of the last FIFA Club World Cup after eliminating Manchester City, a result that underlined its ambition and its ability to compete on a bigger stage.
For Lewandowski, the choice appears to be between staying at Barcelona on reduced terms and a reduced role, or moving to a league where he could play regularly while easing the training load that comes with Europe’s top schedule. The fact that Al-Hilal is already holding the most serious talks suggests the Saudi option is no longer a theoretical one. It is the front-runner, and the next step now depends on whether Lewandowski turns a strong offer into a final yes.
