Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski is still pushing for a move to this summer, despite the club appearing to put their foot down on the matter.
Lewandowski’s dream move is to Real Madrid and the Champions League winners have cash to burn after selling Ronaldo in a deal worth £100m and you would think that they would be jumping at the chance to sign a player who scored 41 goals in 48 matches last season.
But new Real Madrid coach Julen Lopetegui seems content to work with the young Spanish talent at his disposal while Bayern’s new boss Niko Kovac insists that the player is not for sale.
‘There’s nothing new with Robert, it’s clear that he will not leave this club because we have a top striker and we certainly do not want to relinquish him or give him away,’ he told Sky Sport Germany.
‘We want to achieve a lot with him. He is a great footballer, who has achieved a lot in the Bundesliga, scored many goals and now in the new season certainly he will score many goals.’
‘It’s true that Robert toys with going elsewhere. Only [he has] one thing he likes, the other is what we like to do.
‘Robert has a contract – I do not know how long – and he will certainly stay as long as possible here.’
The 29-year-old striker, who is contracted at Bayern until 2021, feels his time in the Bundesliga has come to a natural conclusion, having spent four years at Borussia Dortmund before moving to the Allianz Arena in 2014.
But Lewandowski and his agent Pina Zahavi continue to push for a move to Real Madrid, but if a move to the Bernabéu is ruled out, Lewandowski has few options other than to stay at Bayern.
There is only a handful of clubs in the world that can afford Lewandowski. There is no market for him in France, and if Spain is not an option then Zahavi is left with finding an interested club in the Premier League.
The challenge there is that despite Lewandowski being one of the best strikers in the world, the only top team in England in the market for a striker is Chelsea. And I am not sure they can afford him.
Which is why when the transfer window closes at the end of the month I expect Lewandowski to still be a Bayern player.
