Barcelona Duped after Sending €1million to Fraudster Posing As Lewandowski's Lawyer
Kenneth Ashong 
Poland international Robert Lewandowski swapped German giants Bayern Munich for Spanish powerhouse Barcelona.
A fake agent who posed as Lewandowski's agent 'conned' the 2009 European champions out of €1m in the deal.
However, Hansi Flick's side managed to recover the €1 million (£830,000) from the Cypriot bank, though no criminal investigation has yet been launched.
The fraudster, using the false identity of "Michael Hermanus Gerardus Demon," pretended to be Lewandowski’s lawyer and persistently pressured the club until they agreed to the payment.
Barcelona wired the funds to an account at Banc de Xipre, but the bank's compliance department flagged the transaction as suspicious.
Fortunately, Barcelona managed to recover the €1 million from the Cypriot bank, though no criminal investigation has been launched as the club has not filed a formal complaint.
Barcelona confirmed to Cadena SER that they were the target of an attempted fraud, which has led them to strengthen their anti-fraud protocols.
Lewandowski, who joined the Catalan giants from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022 for an initial fee of €45 million (£37 million), has proven his value on the pitch, netting 71 goals in 106 appearances.
