Barcelona have finally reached an agreement with Bayern Munich that will see them sign Robert Lewandowski for a reported €50 million (£42m/$50m). The prolific Poland striker has been a top target for Barca since the spring, when it first emerged that he could be looking to leave the German champions.
Bayern have stood firm with their demands for the two-time winner of the FIFA The Best award, with there still 12 months left to run on his contract at the Allianz Arena, but a deal has now been put in place that suits all parties.
Will Robert Lewandowski sign for Barcelona?
Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn told Bild: “In the end, Barcelona offered a sum that selling him made absolute sense for us.
“We've also recently been very successful on the transfer market and signed an absolutely world-class player for the offence in Sadio Mane. So we have now reached an agreement with Barcelona. So far, however, only verbally, the contract is still pending.”
Bayern then published an update on their website about the deal with Barcelona, with Kahn saying: "We know very well what we have to thank Robert for, but great players have also left FC Bayern in the past, and even after that, Bayern's world did not fall apart. On the contrary, it often continued with even more success."
President Herbert Hainer said in an interview with Bayerischer Rundfunk: "It's good for both sides that we have clarity. Robert has earned our appreciation, he has won everything with us. We are incredibly grateful to him."
Sports director Hasan Salihamidzic told the Bayern website: "Robert Lewandowski has done great things for FC Bayern. We spoke at length with our colleagues from Barcelona and clarified the details. He said farewell this morning.
"After our trip to the USA, he'll come back one more time and we'll have a coffee together. We wish him every success at his new club."
That contract has seemingly been agreed between Lewandowski and Barca, with the striker set to sign on for an initial three years in Catalunya.
The deal to take him to Barca will see the Spanish side pay an initial €45m, with €5m due in potential add-ons.
Why are Barcelona signing Lewandowski?
The Blaugrana already have plenty of firepower in their ranks, with summer signing Raphinha joining an attacking unit that includes Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres.
Barca are, however, forever in the market for the best talent available and an opportunity to acquire Lewandowski is too good to pass up.
He may now be 33 years of age, but he remains one of the most fearsome frontmen on the planet.
A remarkable strike rate at Bayern has seen him plunder 344 goals through 375 appearances, while playing a leading role in eight Bundesliga title triumphs and a Champions League win.
That considerable experience is now set to be added to the ranks at Camp Nou, with Xavi preparing to work with another all-time great.
Barca are preparing to head to America for the start of their pre-season programme, with Lewandowski set to join them there once the formalities of his move have been completed.