MY ACCOUNT
Bayern Munich chief executive Oliver Kahn insists Robert Lewandowski was offered a new contract and will not be allowed to leave in the close season.
Lewandowski has one year remaining on his existing deal and it was previously reported Bayern could look to sell the striker ahead of the 2022-23 campaign to avoid him going on a free.
The Poland international, who has scored 110 goals over the past three Bundesliga seasons, has asked to leave and said after their final game against Wolfsburg last week that he had not received a proposal for new terms.
But Kahn denied that is true, telling Welt: “We submitted a concrete offer to his agent, otherwise we wouldn’t have said that.”
Asked what fee would be required for Bayern to grant Barcelona-linked Lewandowski an exit before the end of his deal, Kahn was defiant.
“This isn’t a question for us. Robert Lewandowski has a contract until 2023 and he will fulfil it,” he said.
“I cannot say how Uli [Hoeness] or Karl-Heinz [Rummenigge] would have acted. When I started here, I was aware that the bar was set very high and that there would be situations where the past would always be brought up.
“Every situation is different and I act as I believe is right.”
He added: “Bayern is not and will not become a development club. Bayern are still a big force. There are many players who would die to play for us.
“A development club is forced to sell players every now and then. That’s not us. We want to keep our top players for as long as possible.
“That’s why we renewed [Joshua] Kimmich, [Leon] Goretzka, [Kingsley] Coman and [Thomas] Muller this season. Jamal Musiala is also key for the future.”
