Prior to Erling Haaland agreeing to join Manchester City, Bayern Munich actively pursued the Norwegian's signature, an act that has reportedly angered striker Robert Lewandowski.
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This week, the Bundesliga lost one of its star players in Haaland to the Citizens in a deal that is reportedly worth €60 million (R1 billion), but according to German outlet Bild, Bayern attempted to woo the forward right until he decided to take his talents to the blue half of Manchester.
It is further suggested that the Bavarians' star striker Lewandowski was not impressed by his club's apparent attempt to replace him.
That, combined with the fact that the two-time treble winners have been increasingly reluctant to offer the Polish striker his desired contract if he is to stay on beyond June 2023, is said to have caused the Bundesliga's top goalscorer this season to feel undervalued by the chiefs at the Allianz Arena.
The Pole's current deal with the German champions will soon be in its final 12 months, but Bayern are believed to be only willing to extend it by one year as opposed to the two-year extension he has asked for. The financial package they are offering also does not satisfy Lewandowski.
This leaves a lot of uncertainty around the former Borussia Dortmund man's future with Bayern, with a number of elite European clubs being vigilant with regards to his situation, Barcelona in particular.
The Catalan giants are considered a "dream move" for the Warsaw native, but their precarious financial position would make any deal involving Lewandowski a complicated one.
The 2021 Ballon d'Or runner-up has found the back of the net 49 times in 45 matches across all competitions for Bayern in this campaign, helping his team win a 10th Bundesliga title in a row.
Since joining the Bavarians in 2014, Lewandowski has won all there is to win with Die Roten, with the 2019/20 Champions League completing his club trophy collection.
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