Manchester United are preparing a bid for Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski, while the club is making plans for a possible return to the Champions League next season.
Interim manager Michael Carrick has put United in a good position to qualify for the 2026-27 edition of the tournament. They are currently comfortably in third place in the Premier League.
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With seven league rounds remaining and full focus on the league games, United are six points ahead of fifth-placed Liverpool. A top-five finish will most likely be enough to secure a place in Europe’s most prestigious club competition next season.
While it has not yet been decided whether Carrick will get the job permanently, or if United will go for another candidate, work is underway to identify key transfer targets to bolster a squad that is likely to compete on multiple fronts in the autumn.
According to Sports Boom, United have opened talks over a deal to sign Barcelona’s Lewandowski, and the club are willing to offer him a one-year contract to come to Old Trafford.
The experienced 37-year-old has an expiring contract at Camp Nou in the summer, and is now considering his options. Barcelona are expected to offer him an extension, but the proposal from the La Liga giants is scheduled to include a “significant” pay cut, based on performance bonuses – which could make him look for a deal elsewhere.
United envision Lewandowski as a mentor to the likes of Benjamin Šeško and Bryan Mbeumo in attack, while the club is looking forward to a return to the top in the years to come.
The Reds could lose both Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee in the summer, which will leave a hole in the attacking line that needs to be filled.
A potential challenge in a possible deal is that the Polish international will be looking for a multi-year contract at this stage in his career.
Lewandowski transfer could be a new Ronaldo saga
Although United seem to be moving away from their previous strategy of signing the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Edinson Cavani towards the end of their careers, it could still be an exception for Lewandowski.
And who can blame them for that?
Despite his advanced age, the 37-year-old is still a goal-scoring striker with 16 goals in 37 appearances in all competitions for Barcelona this season. He has even been referred to as “the world’s best player of all time” by former Polish teammate Tomasz Kuszczak.
In addition to the success of Ibrahimović and Cavani, United also brought Ronaldo back when he was 36 years old – which turned out to be a hit. The Portuguese legend scored 27 goals in 54 appearances for the Red clubs between 2021 and 2022, before moving on to Saudi Arabia.
All indications are that Lewandowski can deliver similar numbers, given the form he is showing at Barcelona, while also helping players like Šeško develop into even better strikers.
With United’s previous success with big strikers towards the end of his career, signing the Pole seems like a foregone conclusion – if the clubs agree on a deal.
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