Robert Lewandowski discusses Barcelona future & Lionel Messi 'dream'

Robert Lewandowski has spoken out on his future plans with Barcelona in an extensive interview, claiming he intends to remain with the club until 2026 and expressing his desire to play alongside Lionel Messi.

The 34-year-old joined Barcelona from Bayern Munich last summer, having scored 344 goals over eight years with the German champions. He has since taken to life in Catalonia very well, with 18 goals in his first 19 games, but is now set to spend a couple of weeks on the sidelines after receiving a red card against Osasuna before the international break.

Speaking to Mundo Deportivo, Lewandowski discussed his future plans for his career and the things he would like to achieve before finally hanging up his boots.

"I remember that when I was 20 or 21 years old I began to prepare for my career not to reach 33 or 34, but I did everything to reach 37 playing at a high level," said Lewandowski.

"Here the youngsters are in the gym every day working hard. I didn't expect it before coming in summer. I don't know how it was before, it always depends on the players but the work is similar to what I did at Bayern, working in the gym and on the pitch. When I go to the gym I see a lot of players there and it's not just me. Most of the time the gym is full."

Lewandowski was also asked during the interview whether he would like to play with Messi, to which the Pole replied: "It's not up to me.

"Of course, we see that now he plays more like a 'playmaker', maybe he scores fewer goals and gives more passes to his teammates although he continues to score them.

"But compared to other times, he is now the footballer that any striker would dream of playing alongside."