Lewandowski Quashes Fenerbahce Transfer Talks, Dismisses Retirement Rumours

Robert Lewandowski has dismissed rumours linking him with a move to Fenerbahce under new head coach Jose Mourinho. The Polish striker, who will soon turn 36, also clarified that he is not contemplating retirement. In the 2023-24 season, Lewandowski scored 26 goals in 49 matches across all competitions, a decrease from his 33-goal tally during Barcelona's LaLiga-winning campaign in 2022-23.

Barcelona finished second to Real Madrid in LaLiga and exited the Champions League at the quarter-final stage last season. This led to speculation about a potential overhaul of their attacking lineup. Lewandowski, who is halfway through a four-year contract with Barcelona, was rumoured to be considering a move to Fenerbahce. However, he refuted these claims in an interview with Sport, stating, "Fenerbahce have not contacted me. I don't know anything about it."

Lewandowski will celebrate his 36th birthday shortly after the start of LaLiga's 2024-25 season in mid-August. When asked about the possibility of retiring like Toni Kroos, who ended his career on a high by winning the Champions League with Real Madrid, Lewandowski said, "My heart will tell me that moment. Before making a decision, I must first feel something. I don't know when it will happen; it's difficult to determine it by myself. I need to hear my decision to be sure of it and now I don't have it."

He added, "Physically I feel very good and that means I can't think about retirement. Maybe Toni Kroos felt that moment, but it's not the case for me. I'm realising that the hard work I've done and I'm still doing is paying off."

Lewandowski is optimistic about the upcoming season under new Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick. The two have a successful history together from their time at Bayern Munich between November 2019 and June 2021. During that period, Lewandowski scored an impressive 83 goals and provided 18 assists in 71 games under Flick's management.

The striker also set a Bundesliga record for most goals in a single season under Flick's guidance, netting 41 times in 29 league matches as Bayern Munich clinched the title in the 2020-21 season.

With Flick now at Camp Nou, Lewandowski hopes to replicate their past successes and elevate his performance next season.