Barcelona transfer news: Lewandowski wants to prove he is better than Benzema

Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski has openly been declaring his desire to leave the Bundesliga champions. He is believed to be ready to join Spanish side FC Barcelona, but he has not specified the motivation behind his desire to join the La Liga giants. His former agent, Cezary Kucharski, claims that the Polish star wants to prove that he is better than Karim Benzema.

In the past two seasons at least, Lewandowski and the Real Madrid striker have been compared quite often. They both lost out to Lionel Messi in the 2021 Ballon d'Or, but this year, Benzema's name has been more resonant even though Lewandowski scored the most goals in Europe last season. The Real Madrid ace is the front-runner for the award, especially after leading the club to a record 14th UEFA Champions League trophy.

According to Kuckarski, Lewandowski thinks that a move to Barcelona, where he will be facing the Real Madrid star head-on, could ultimately prove which of them is the better player.

"He wants to prove that he is better than Benzema, it's another reason [he wants] to go to Barcelona," Kucharski said in an interview with Radio Ser. "Lewandowski has no dreams. For him, playing football is a job and he is very professional. Real Madrid and Barcelona are at the same level," he added.

Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez is keen on signing the prolific striker, but the club's financial problems are making things difficult. Lewandowski has a contract with Bayern Munich until 2023, and they are not inclined to let him go for a bargain price.

The Bavarian giants remain firm on their 60 million euro asking price, even if they are risking the possibility of losing the player on a free transfer next summer.

"Barcelona and Lewandowski are going to fight for this signing," said Kucharski, as quoted by Marca.

He further stated that during his time with Lewandowski, the Pole had always planned to play in La Liga Santander after his stint in Germany. After that, he also plans to wind down his career in Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States, much like many other European stars.

Bayern Munich is not happy about the way Lewandowski is pressuring them to sanction the move. For now, club officials are expecting the player to show up at pre-season training on July 12. Barcelona need to act fast and come up with the cash, especially with the German side showing no sign of backing down.