In case you were wondering what Robert Lewandowski has been up to, the striker is not having a great time right now. Since leaving Bayern Munich for FC Barcelona in the summer of 2022, the Polish hitman has felt the ignominy of being knocked out of Europe twice in one season, followed by a general decline in his goal scoring abilities. The Catalans are beginning to grow frustrated with the 35-year-old, whose contract runs until 2026 (with an option for an extra year).

According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández hit his limit during halftime in the game versus Almería, apparently going on an explosive tirade that singled out a number of individual players. Robert Lewandowski is the main target mentioned, with MD stressing that the coach had never before been so harsh with his criticism. Xavi himself acknowledged the incident after the game, stating that the halftime talk was the toughest he’d ever given as a coach.

 Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images

The FC Barcelona board are similarly frustrated with their team’s chief striker, whom they purchased from Bayern Munich for a fee of €45m plus add-ons. Right now those add-ons seem unlikely to be achieved, since Lewandowski is in woeful scoring form. He has a mediocre tally of just nine goals this season, and has not scored since the Girona game on December 12.

According to Sport, Lewandowski is no longer considered “untouchable” by the Barca top brass, and they want to sell him before his contract enters its final years. This is because, when signing the player from Bayern, Barca agreed to a contract that would see Lewandowski’s salary increase every single year. They want to be rid of that financial burden as soon as possible — ideally by selling him to a club in Saudi Arabia.

However, Pini Zahavi recently traveled to Spain recently to make it clear that his client would not accept a transfer, despite the FCB bosses already contacting Saudi intermediaries to explore the feasibility of a deal.

If there’s no transfer, then what happens? Well, then Joan Laporta would have to summon an old trick from his playbook, and pressure the player into taking a pay cut. The club already tried this tactic on Frenkie de Jong last year, when the player refused a lucrative (for Barca) move to Manchester United in the summer.

Bild claim that Barca are optimistic that Lewandowski will accept salary cuts. They do not mention where this optimism comes from. With the 35-year-old entering what seems to be the twilight of his career, he’d probably want to collect every penny that he’s owed. After all, the contract was structured this way to allow Barca to squeeze past Spanish FFP regulations — it’s not fair to him if Barca can’t pay what they agreed upon.

In any case, the pressure is mounting on Robert Lewandowski. Seemingly beset from all angles, the striker will have to find goals from somewhere. If he can’t, well … a trip to Saudi Arabia may be the final option, whether he wants to go or not.