Barcelona's Lewandowski dream is in Mane's hands

Liverpool forward's move to Bayern would speed up deal

Posted Monday, May 30, 2022 by Marca.com

Barcelona's dream of signing Robert Lewandowski is on hold until they can find some extra funds, but there is a deal at the other side which would make things easier: Bayern Munich's pursuit of Sadio Mane.

The German champions are already in negotiations to bring in the Senegalese forward from Liverpool and that move could make them more open to allowing Lewandowski to leave.

Mane, 30, has a year left on his Liverpool contract and has dropped hints that he could be on his way out.

Lewandowski, 33, also has one year to run on his present deal, but the Bavarian club have been reluctant to face the idea of his departure. The Polish striker fancies a new challenge and has made the club well aware of that fact.

Rummenigge

Bayern general manager Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has spoken about not wanting to lose Lewandowski and questioned why he would want to leave.

"What can Barcelona offer him that Bayern can't? To be honest, I can't think of anything," Rummenigge told Bild TV.

"We have to fight, to talk with him, involve him in the working of the club. You need a player like him, even if he's about to turn 34.

"He's a guaranteed goalscorer that you won't find elsewhere in Europe. Robert is top class."

In any case, Barcelona still need to find a way to make the deal work financially, even if Bayern are eventually open to selling. The Catalan club, however, is confident of sealing some lucrative contracts in the coming days.

Other links in the chain

The transfer market is often like a line of dominos, especially when it comes to the top players and sometimes all it takes is one move to spark a line of others.

If Mane to Bayern would help Lewandowski to Barcelona happen, then Ousmane Dembele to Liverpool could pave the way for Mane's departure. English media have also linked Chelsea with the French winger who could soon be a free agent.