Liverpool and Sadio Mané must reach an amicable transfer agreement. Bayern Munich (coincidentally) and Robert Lewandowski are setting a bad example.
Robert Lewandowski is enraged with Bayern Munich, which is rather unusual. Jürgen Klopp brought the Polish forward to Germany when he was at Borussia Dortmund, and he now wants to join Barcelona.
It remains to be seen how Barcelona will afford his wages, in addition to a transfer fee, given their current financial situation, but Lewandowski must believe it is possible.
This week, Lewandowski stated, “I just want to leave Bayern.” “Loyalty and respect take precedence over work.” The best thing to do is work together to find a solution.
“They didn’t want to listen to me until the end. Something died inside me and it’s impossible to get over that. Even if you want to be professional, you can’t make up for it.
“I considered no other offers besides the one from Barcelona.” It’s obvious that I want to leave Bayern. I was always ready and available at the club for so many years, and despite injuries and pain, I gave my all.
“I believe the best thing to do is to find a solution that works for both parties.” And to avoid seeking a one-sided decision. I’m not looking for a one-sided solution; that makes no sense after all this time, after such a successful era, and with my will and support.”
With 344 goals in 375 appearances, you’d think the departure could have been handled a little better — possibly on both sides.
For Liverpool, it appears that Bayern Munich is looking to add Sadio Mané to their roster as a replacement for Lewandowski (ideally they might have both, but that seems unlikely to be feasible).
Bayern made a £25 million opening bid for Mané earlier this week, which was quickly rejected at Anfield. Mané is worth around £40 million, and Liverpool will not let him leave on the cheap, despite his desire.
Lewandowski was forced to stay at Dortmund for a year longer than he wanted and scored 20 Bundesliga goals. Like Mané, the feeling is that the Pole will not slow down — though his recent comments may change that.
He no longer has anything to prove after winning everything he can with Bayern Munich. Instead, he wishes to progress and try something new.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is among the people who have spoken out against Lewandowski’s stance, and public falling out is unfolding where no one wins.
For Mané, there are two lessons here. Firstly, his Liverpool exit — even if it becomes drawn out over the next few weeks — should not be allowed to end like Lewandowski’s spell at Bayern. Both players deserve to be better remembered.
Second, Bayern Munich’s handling of the situation has been less than ideal. Joining them with the intention of trying somewhere else later may not be the best idea.
Jürgen Klopp will be watching what happens with Lewandowski as a former player and as a possible influence on what happens with his current number nine, Mané.
While it appears that the futures of both forwards are linked in some way, Liverpool cannot afford a similarly spectacular break-up.
