Bundesliga business
Bayern Munich president Herbert Hainer has confirmed that the club have a verbal agreement in place with Barcelona for the transfer of Robert Lewandowski to the Spanish club. Speculation surrounding the player’s future in Munich reached fever pitch this week, with reports in Spain and Germany stating that the Catalan giants would reach Bayern’s valuation of the 33-year-old striker. Now, according to Hainer, that has happened and Lewandowski is set to depart German football after 12 years at Borussia Dortmund and then Bayern.
Source! #Bayern are going to accept the latest offer by #Barca. Deal is now nearing completion pending final details. Will also get movement in the Matthijs de Ligt deal as it will free up significant financial resources for the Rekordmeister. pic.twitter.com/ydeZISbife
— Manuel Veth (@ManuelVeth) July 15, 2022
“We have come to a verbal agreement with Barcelona,” said Hainer in a club statement on Saturday. “It’s good to have clarity for all parties. Robert is an incredible player and he won everything with us. We are incredibly grateful to him.” And despite a rather ferocious transfer saga, in which Bayern began by stating that they would never leave the club, CEO Oliver Kahn also confirmed the move by stating what changed the club’s stance on selling their star player.
“In the end, Barcelona offered a fee that makes selling Lewandowski absolutely sensible for us,” said the former Bayern captain in an interview with Sport-Bild. “In addition, we have been very successful on the transfer market recently and signed an absolutely world-class player for the attack in Sadio Mané.” He added: “My job is solely to always achieve the best for Bayern. We were always in the driving seat and always acted from a position of strength. And in the end, we felt it was best to give Robert permission to leave. At FC Bayern, we can live very well with this”
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However, while Bayern fans may have been disappointed by the news of Lewandowski departing for Barcelona in the coming days, there was plenty of good news for fans of the Munich side. At an event at the Allianz Arena on Saturday, the club not only unveiled new signing Sadio Mané but also confirmed earlier reports that Serge Gnabry had agreed to stay at the club, after signing a new contract that will keep him at the club until 2026. Walking around the pitch with a jersey confirming the news, the Germany international later explained why he had decided to stay put.
“I thought a lot about what I wanted as a player for the next few years – and came to the conclusion: I want to stay at Bayern, win everything here again, especially Champions League. Celebrating titles, but this time with our fans,” said the forward in an interview with the club website. “It’s special because I can play here with my friends at the highest level. I certainly wouldn’t experience that at any other club. I want to experience great moments here again – and not somewhere else. The hunger for big titles doesn’t go away.”
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