The confirmation of the deal comes at the end of a saga that began before even the 2021-22 season was over, and ends with Barca once more having a modern icon of the game on their books, a year on from Lionel Messi’s departure.

Barcelona will pay an initial fee of €45 million (£38m/$45m) to bring Lewandowski to Catalunya, with a further €5m (£4.3m/$5m) potentially due in add-ons if certain clauses are met.

A statement from the club read: “FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich have reached an agreement in principle for the transfer of Robert Lewandowski, dependent on the player passing a medical and contracts being signed.”

Lewandowski is expected to sign an initial three-year contract with an option to extend it by a further year, meaning he could remain at Camp Nou through until the end of the 2025-26 season.