The period of Robert Lewandowski at Bayern Munich is coming to an finish.
The Poland striker, who has scored 344 goals in 374 aggressive video games for the German aspect, has manufactured it quite apparent he desires to leave this summer time.
“My story with Bayern is over. I will not see any likelihood to engage in for this club any extra,” Lewandowski said all through a press meeting with the Poland staff.
These are severe terms coming from a single of Bayern’s mainstays during the earlier 10 years. Lewandowski, encouraged by agent Pini Zahavi, has picked confrontation in excess of dialogue with his club to power a transfer.
In new months, Bayern’s management continuously said Lewandowski is not for sale, pointing at his agreement that operates until eventually 2023.
However, the striker, who will transform 34 in August, intends to indication a single very last valuable offer this 12 months and has chosen Barcelona as the location for what will most likely be the remaining phase of his career.
He has a verbal arrangement with the Catalan club over a 3-calendar year deal. The likely transfer could turn out to be a drawn-out affair though, as Barcelona are under strict fiscal supervision by the Spanish league and cannot simply spend a most likely transfer payment of about 40m euros (£34m).
Lewandowski’s exit is only one particular issue, nevertheless, for a club thought of a European superpower for extra than a decade but just one now in risk of slipping even further at the rear of the continent’s major clubs.
Wealthy in German terms, but having poorer
The quarter-closing reduction to Villarreal in this year’s Champions League has lifted issues about Bayern’s competitiveness outdoors the Bundesliga.
Profitable the league for a 10th time in a row signifies minor, as the domestic competitors, which includes Borussia Dortmund, is miles driving Bayern.
In distinction, Bayern are preventing an uphill battle internationally since of fiscal constraints. Obtaining designed the Champions League semi-finals in 8 of the past 13 seasons, Bayern have now been knocked out at the quarter-remaining stage in the last two yrs – and there are fears items could quickly get even even worse.
Bayern can rely on trustworthy sponsors but do not have billionaire owners.
Therefore, their liquid property reduced from 221m (£188m) to 113m euros (£96m) throughout the previous two yrs, predominantly for the reason that of the effects of Covid-19 on income streams. A even further decrease down to 60m euros (£51m) is predicted.
Bayern are merely not in a position to retain up with Paris St-Germain, Manchester City or Genuine Madrid economically. Hence, they have to act extremely cleverly in the transfer sector and retain a winning society.
Can Mane show Bayern’s saviour?
Bayern have now created peace with the reality they will lose their top striker this summer and are preparing for a future without Lewandowski. According to sources within just the club, their prepare contains participating in with a fluid three-guy assault and not a ‘target man’.
Even though Bayern are interested in common selection nines these types of as Austria’s Sasa Kalajdzic and the 19-year-old Slovenian Benjamin Sesko, the club’s executives and supervisor Julian Nagelsmann know they will not be capable to switch Lewandowski sufficiently.
There are only a handful of strikers on Lewandowski’s amount and none of them are obtainable to Bayern.
So, Nagelsmann is arranging for a 3-guy attack like Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, because Leroy Sane, Thomas Muller, Kingsley Coman and Jamal Musiala are appropriate for these a set-up.
Bayern have also approached Sadio Mane’s administration and are operating tricky on a offer with the Senegal ahead, whilst there are nonetheless some economical troubles to resolve in these negotiations.
He would not be a Lewandowski alternative, but he could be seen as a assertion signing for the German side and quite possibly avoid Bayern from slipping guiding even even more on a European amount.
Rifts and an ageing squad
In a instant when calmness and cohesion are wanted, Bayern are much more unsettled than they have been in several many years. Nagelsmann and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic have differing views on quite a few matters, such as an ageing squad.
An growing amount of players also feel unsatisfied about their condition.
“I cannot imagine fantastic co-procedure just after all that has occurred in the previous handful of months,” Lewandowski said not too long ago.
We do not know irrespective of whether his assertion was only a means to force a shift or mirrors his honest opinion, but it is superior fodder for those that have criticised the conversation in just the club.
Serge Gnabry is a different vital player who could leap ship quickly. As with Lewandowski, economical incentives are not the principal motivation for the Germany winger as he considers his departure, due to the fact Bayern lately manufactured a valuable extension offer. As an alternative, he feels he is not revered more than enough.
Nagelsmann himself is also not favored by absolutely everyone in the dressing place, which could lead to a rift if Bayern are likely through a dry spell in the 1st number of months of next season as they get made use of to actively playing with no Lewandowski.
How the German champions, one of the best-oiled devices in European soccer in the earlier decade, negotiate the early months of up coming year will be a considerable tutorial as to how properly they will deal with their unsure future.
