Robert Lewandowski: 'I have left Bayern Munich with a clear conscience'

Robert Lewandowski has insisted that he has left Bayern Munich "with a clear conscience", with the centre-forward grateful for what he managed to achieve with the German giants.

The Poland international made it clear earlier this summer that he wanted to leave Allianz Arena in search of pastures new, with Barcelona his first-choice destination.

The 33-year-old finally completed a move to Camp Nou on July 19, and he represented the club on three occasions during their pre-season tour of North America.

Lewandowski returned to Germany at the start of this week to officially say goodbye to Bayern, and the striker has insisted that he can now move on "with a clear conscience".

"It was sad and difficult," Lewandowski told Sky Sports News. "I will always be grateful for what I won and experienced here. I have thanked everyone for what they did for me and given them gifts. It was emotional and difficult.

© Reuters

"The last few weeks were difficult for everyone, but I will never forget what I had here and I thank the fans for their support. Now I can leave with a clear conscience."

Lewandowski is yet to find the back of the net for Barcelona, drawing blanks against Real Madrid, Juventus and New York Red Bulls.

However, the club's head coach Xavi has insisted that he has no concerns over the big-name arrival, claiming that both Luis Suarez and Ferran Torres both struggled for goals in their early time at the club.

"He has been scoring in training, as the ball was going in yesterday and then today it didn't, but it's normal," Xavi told reporters.

"The same thing also happened with Luis Suarez and Ferran Torres when they arrived. He is going to score goals, even though he brings much more than goals."

© Reuters

"My era at Bayern is over. I don't see any possibility to continue playing for this club anymore. Bayern's a serious club and I believe they won't keep me, I don't want to play there anymore. A transfer is the best solution. I hope they don't stop me," Lewandowski told reporters earlier this summer.

The striker was again in excellent form for Bayern last season, scoring 50 goals and registering seven assists in 46 appearances in all competitions, as the Munich giants won the Bundesliga title.

Meanwhile, he left the club with a record of 344 goals and registered 72 assists in 374 appearances, having made the move from Borussia Dortmund in 2014.

Chelsea, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain were also linked with the striker this summer, but it is understood that he made it clear from the start that he only wanted to join the Catalan outfit.

Barcelona have also signed Andreas Christensen, Franck Kessie, Raphinha and Jules Kounde during a busy transfer window, while they continue to be linked with Chelsea duo Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso.