Lewandowski: I'm done with Bayern! It's best that I leave, don't try to stop me
Reading Time: 4min | Mon. 30.05.22. | 17:00
Next stop - Barcelona
Erling Haaland had all the attention for a few days with the transfer to Manchester City, the focus then shifted to Kylian Mbappe and his decision to stay in Paris Saint-Germain despite the strong interest of Real Madrid - and all credit to the two young goal scorers, but European football has a greater center forward and he is getting closer to ending his own saga. Robert Lewandowski has made it clear that we will no longer be watching him at Bayern!
The saga about the status of the Pole in Munich has been going on for months and it seems to be coming to an end. As much because of the interest of Barcelona, so much because of the disagreements of the great striker with the executives of the German champions. The setbacks started last summer and will culminate soon, regardless of the fact that Lewa is contract-tied to the Allianz Arena for another year.
"My story at Bayern is now over. I don't see any possibility to continue playing for this club anymore. A transfer is the best solution for both parties. Bayern is a serious club and I hope they won't keep me just because they can." said Lewandowski at a press conference held with the camp of the Polish national team.
"I don't want to play there anymore - it’s clear. A transfer is the best solution. I hope they don't stop me"
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The misunderstanding between Lewandowski and the Bayern administration was about the conditions under which he would sign a new contract. Robert wanted at least two more years of cooperation, convinced that he is able to score regularly beyond 33 years of age, while the leaders of the Bavarian giant offered only a continuation for 12 months. Until June 2024.
Also, Lewa's agent Pini Zahavi played a huge role in the whole situation. Zahavi insisted for his client to be offered better conditions or, if he does not get those, he will change the environment - which is why Zahavi negotiated with Barcelona in parallel.
For months, Hasan Salihamidzic and Oliver Kahn tried to convince the fans that Lewa would stay at the Allianz Arena until the end of the contract, but they slowly began to realize that this is not a realistic scenario. The fact that it costs them around 24 million euros (gross salary) annually is not a problem for the Bavarians, because Lewandowski has been the best player of the team for years. After all, he scored 344 goals in 374 official matches and it is clear how much the club would miss him.
However, at Bayern, they don't seem to see things the same way. Although the first star publicly renounced the club, CEO Oliver Kahn believes that he chose the wrong path.
"I can't explain why Robert chose this way. Public statements like this lead you nowhere. Robert was twice the best player in the world while playing for Munich. He should know what he has with Bayern. Admiration is not a one-way street", Kahn replied in a statement to German media.
The contract is on Bayern's side. The Bavarians can 'forcefully' keep the Pole at the cost of losing him in a year without compensation. But the question is whether they will do it, even though they are angry because of the way Lewandowski chose to communicate with the club.
The problem is that Bayern do not have a solution on how to replace their best scorer. Sebastian Haller from Ajax can be a temporary solution, but he costs around 45 million euros, which is still too much for a player who does not guarantee goals and is not a top class in world football like Lewandowski. Other options are thin also - Julian Nagelsman would like Timo Werner from Chelsea but the club's management does not share the enthusiasm.
Young men like Darwin Nunez from Benfica or Hugo Ekitike from Reims are promising in the future, but they are currently too expensive and do not have the experience necessary for the burden they should carry at Bayern. Romelu Lukaku is also an option, but he is closer to returning to Inter. There are no classic center forwards available on the market that meet Bayern's criteria.
That leads us to Sadio Mane and Barcelona. Bayern will try to mitigate by insisting on getting 40 million euros from Barcelona, opposed to initially offered 32 million. A replacement in the form of Mane is being considered and it is rumored that the Reds could get between 35 and 40 million euros. Which might cause a slightly different style of play for Naglesmann's team.
