Dortmund's prolific striker has been closely linked
with Bayern Munich and Manchester United in
recent months and Goal takes a closer look at his
future at Signal Iduna Park
SPECIAL REPORT
By Ameh Emmanuel
Bayern Munich may have completed the high-
profile signings of Mario Gotze and Thiago
Alcantara this summer, but there is one player
who, despite his desperate attempts to complete
a move to Bavaria, did not quite make it:
Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski.
For months, Lewandowski attempted to engineer
a move away from Signal Iduna Park as many of
Europe’s powerhouse clubs sought his signature.
The Poland international later revealed that he
turned down interest from Chelsea, Manchester
United and Real Madrid, but BVB flatly refused
selling him to his club of choice, Bayern. And,
after a long and drawn-out transfer saga, it was
concluded that Lewandowski will remain at Signal
Iduna Park for another year.
There is no denying that the Pole was absolutely
desperate to join Bayern this summer. As early as
April, his agent revealed an agreement with an
“unnamed club,” which later proved to be the
Bavarians.
Having already been forced to sell Gotze to their
rivals, who activated a €37 million buyout clause,
Dortmund could not risk the blow to their image
that would come with selling a second key player
to Pep Guardiola's side in the same transfer
window. Lewandowski’s contract included no
release clause, and therefore BVB were not
compelled to sell him as they were in the case of
Gotze. But the coveted striker’s contract had only
a year left, meaning that retaining his services for
another season would have come at a forfeit of a
transfer fee believed to be around €25m.
It was a situation that had no ideal outcome for
the Champions League runners-up: instead of
garnering a sizable transfer fee for his switch,
BVB opted to retain Lewandowski’s services until
he leaves on a free transfer at the end of June,
2014.
Although his unveiling will not officially take place
until next summer, Lewandowski’s move to
Bayern is official. Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp
and Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
confirmed this much in July.
With his long-term future set in stone, the
question remains: What happens now for
Lewandowski?
The player’s agent, Cezary Kucharski, appeared
to burn all bridges for himself and his client at
Dortmund as he did everything possible to force a
move this summer. The player even accused
BVB’s management of turning back on a promise
to sell him at the end of last season.
Even in the same interview in which he accepted
that he would honour his contract at Signal Iduna
Park, Lewandowski admitted he was “astonished
at how [BVB were] treating [him].” In July, a big
question mark still existed as to whether
Lewandowski would be willing to put forth the
kind of effort that brought him world-class status
over the previous two seasons. He had, after all,
already reached a binding agreement with Bayern.
Four-gone conclusion | Lewandowski is set to join
Bayern next summer
As of late, however, the turbulence of
Lewandowski’s transfer saga has died down. In
August, the player admitted that “everything’s
been cleared up,” between himself and the club.
That may have been prompted by BVB tripling his
salary from €1.5m to €4.5m. Lewandowski’s
wages are still pennies for a player who scored
four goals against Real Madrid in the Champions
League semi-finals, but the move was
nonetheless a sign of good will given that it came
with no additional expectation from the player.
The 25-year-old has had a generally positive
reaction to his temporarily delayed transfer to
Bayern. The striker has scored twice in four
Bundesliga matches, and most importantly, BVB
have won all six of their competitive matches this
season. So far, there are no complaints from
either side.
Dortmund are well-prepared for any dip in
Lewandowski’s form and for the striker’s eventual
departure, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - a
summer signing from Saint-Etienne, who already
appears to have captured the hearts of BVB
supporters with a stunning Bundesliga opening
day hat-trick - a perfectly capable deputy. But
the versatile Gabon international has featured
exclusively on the wing this season as
Lewandowski has retained his starting role.
What initially looked like a possible disaster
seems to have been averted. Although
disappointed not to have moved to Bayern,
Lewandowski has acted professionally and given
Dortmund his best effort. And for his cooperation,
BVB have been generous enough to keep him in
his starting role and given him a generous pay
raise.
No matter how well this campaign goes, however,
one thing is for sure: Once the season ends,
Lewandowski will be a Bayern player.
