Robert Lewandowski to Chicago Fire would reignite Lionel Messi rivalry in MLS

Robert Lewandowski’s future at FC Barcelona has entered its decisive phase. With his contract expiring in June and the club yet to table an extension, the 37-year-old striker is weighing an eye-catching alternative: a move to Major League Soccer that would position him as the primary Western Conference foil to Lionel Messi and Inter Miami.

Sources tell ESPN’s Janusz Michallik, via Mundo Deportivo, that Chicago Fire have vaulted ahead of previously linked suitors in Saudi Arabia, AC Milan and several Turkish clubs by launching a full-scale recruitment drive. “Chicago is 100 percent committed to signing him and they are fighting to convince him and his wife,” Michallik said, underlining that the Fire’s pursuit has advanced from casual interest to structured negotiations.

The courtship began two months ago when head coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter flew to Spain for a face-to-face meeting with Lewandowski and his representative. Berhalter’s pitch paired a competitive financial package with a holistic life plan for the player’s family, part of a broader ambition to transform the Fire into a “superclub” ahead of the opening of their new 2028 stadium.

Yet the clock is ticking. Club officials have informed Lewandowski’s camp that if he opts to wait beyond the current transfer window, Chicago will pivot to a Plan B signing. The implicit message: the franchise will not linger indefinitely while the striker monitors Barcelona’s post-election landscape.

What gives the potential transfer added sizzle is the personal narrative waiting in MLS. A Lewandowski-Messi rivalry has simmered for years, most notably during the contentious 2021 Ballon d’Or vote and again at the World Cup in Qatar, where Messi appeared to snub Lewandowski after a hard foul. Relocating to the same league would place the two superstars on opposite sides of playoff races, nationally televised showdowns and marketing campaigns—an optics bonanza for MLS.

For now, Lewandowski continues to train and play at Barcelona while deferring any contract decision until the club’s presidential elections clarify the sporting project. But with Chicago Fire intensifying their push, the prospect of the Polish captain trading La Liga for the Midwest—and reigniting a headline-grabbing duel with Messi—has shifted from rumor to tangible possibility.