CHICAGO. Robert Lewandowski has agreed a two year deal with Chicago Fire, with the Poland international set to become one of Major League Soccer’s highest paid players following the expiry of his contract at Barcelona .
The 37 year old, who announced his departure from the Catalan club in May after four seasons at Spotify Camp Nou, has chosen the United States over alternative offers from AC Milan and clubs in the Saudi Pro League . He visited Chicago earlier this month as he weighed his options before committing to the Fire .
Lewandowski leaves Barcelona with 119 goals in 191 appearances, having won three La Liga titles and the 2025 Copa del Rey during his time in Spain . “After four years full of challenges and hard work, it’s time to move on,” he wrote on social media upon confirming his departure. “I leave with the feeling that the mission is complete. Four seasons, three championships” .
The signing represents a significant statement of intent from Chicago Fire, who have been pursuing a marquee addition for some time after previously holding talks with Neymar . Fire director of football and head coach Gregg Berhalter, a strong advocate for the transfer, believes the forward can have a transformative impact both on and off the pitch .
“We’re trying to recruit world class players,” Berhalter told Up & Adams earlier this month. “We think [Lewandowski would] be a great signing not only for the Chicago Fire, but for the league, to have a player of that calibre. We see him right up there with [Lionel] Messi in terms of ability, and it’d be great for the city of Chicago” .
The move carries particular resonance given Chicago’s status as home to the largest Polish community in the United States, with an estimated 720,000 to 900,000 residents of Polish ancestry in the greater metropolitan area. The Fire have a proud history of Polish players, from the trio of Piotr Nowak, Roman Kosecki and Jerzy Podbrożny who helped the club win the MLS Cup and US Open Cup in their debut 1998 season, through to more recent representatives including Przemysław Frankowski and Kacper Przybyłko .
The Fire are preparing to move into their new home, McDonald’s Park, in the South Loop area of the city in 2028, and view Lewandowski as a figure capable of boosting attendances and raising the club’s profile ahead of that transition . The club currently sit third in the Eastern Conference, with Berhalter having experimented with a two striker system that could accommodate both Lewandowski and Hugo Cuypers, who leads MLS in goal scoring .
Lewandowski will join an increasingly star studded MLS featuring the likes of Lionel Messi at Inter Miami, Thomas Müller at Vancouver Whitecaps and Son Heung min at LAFC . The earliest he could make his debut would be against Müller’s Whitecaps on July 16 , adding another layer of intrigue to his arrival in North American football.
