Bayern Munich president Herbert Hainer has declared that striker Robert Lewandowski will not be leaving the club this summer and is expecting the Polish superstar to stay at the Allianz Arena for the remainder of his contract - at least.
Lewandowski has been the best striker in the world in recent years, scoring 294 goals in 329 games since he joined Bayern as a free agent in 2014. That record has included an astonishing 103 goals in only 87 appearances in the last two seasons alone.
The 32-year-old has been linked with Chelsea and Manchester City in recent weeks, with both Premier League clubs in the market for a new striker this summer. But Hainer says that Bayern have no intention of letting the former Borussia Dortmund star leave.
“Firstly, in my opinion, Lewandowski is best striker in the world. We are so happy that we have him in our team,” Hainer told Goal.
“He still has two more years on his contract. He will definitely play those with Bayern Munch. I said it already a few weeks ago – I could imagine him staying with us for even longer. He will honour his contract. He will definitely play the next two seasons here in Bayern Munich.”
Bayern have been linked with Dortmund prodigy Erling Haaland as a potential replacement for Lewandowski, but Hainer has insisted that the reigning Bundesliga champions will only begin to look for a successor when it is known he will be leaving the club.
Haaland will be available for a fixed price of €75m next summer when his release clause becomes active, although there will be fierce competition for the Norwegian’s signature.
Chelsea and Manchester City are both very interested in Haaland, with Chelsea in particular prepared to offer €175m (£150m) in a quitter market. However, the player himself joked this week: “I hope they are just rumours, as €175m would be a lot of money for one person.”
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Source : 90min