Categories: Chicago FireMLS

Report: Lewandowski to sign with Fire

Robert Lewandowski during the Poland - Nigeria friendly football match at National Stadium in Warsaw, Poland on June 3, 2026. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

CHICAGO, IL–Reports from both The Athletic and Sky Germany have Polish international Robert Lewandowski signing with Chicago Fire FC as early as this week. Lewandowski, 37, has long been rumored to be a target of the Fire and the flames, no pun intended, were stoked when Fire head coach Gregg Berhalter all but confirmed that the club would do just that to Kay Adams on the Up and Adams podcast:

“We’re trying to recruit world-class players,” Gregg 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 caliber. We see him right up there with Messi in terms of ability, and it’d be great for the city of Chicago.”

Lewandowski had visited Chicago earlier this month and is out of contract after this past season with Barcelona. The Athletic has also reported that the Fire are also going after midfielder Leon Goretzka. Goretzka and Lewandowski were teammates at Bayern Munich.

Lewandowski is one of the most prolific strikes in the world. In 517 appearances with Borussia Dortmund (131), Bayern Munich (238), and FC Barcelona (83) across 16 seasons, he has scored 395 goals. The season before last saw Lewandowski score 42 goals in all competitions, though he would score just 19 this past season. With Poland, he has scored 89 goals in 167 caps.

The Athletic report that Lewandowski will sign a two year deal with the club and he will become one of the league’s marquee names who would help Chicago Fire FC build up hype as they move into a new stadium in the South Loop in 2028.

Lewandowski would join an already potent strike force which includes MLS leading goalscorer Hugo Cuypers and Danish midfielder Philip Zinckernagel. Lewandowski would occupy the third and final designated player spot unless the Fire free up one of the other two slots currently occupied by either Cuyers or Jonathan Bamba. Last season saw the Fire set a single season record for goals scored with 68.

It basically comes down to how Lewandowski will fit in Gregg Berhalter’s plans. Will one of the other strikers make way for him? The Fire’s first match back from World Cup break on July 16th should be interesting, not just to see if Lewandowski’s paperwork comes in and he can play, but it will be against another former teammate of his at Bayern in Thomas Müller who now plays with Vancouver Whitecaps. Lots of intrigue ahead.