Barcelona have reportedly made an opening offer of €40m (£34.4m) for Robert Lewandowski, but Bayern Munich director Hasan Salihamidzic expects to find a resolution and convince the striker to stay in Germany.
Lewandowski, whose contract expires next year, has publicly revealed his desire to leave the Bundesliga champions this summer, stating in May: “My Bayern story is over.”
The 33-year-old again called on Bayern to adhere to his wishes earlier this month, with Barcelona said to be his preferred destination.
Widespread reports on Thursday claim Barca have made their first offer for the Poland international, although Bayern are not expected to accept the initial bid of €35m plus €5m in add-ons.
Speaking to Sky Sport in Germany, Salihamidzic said he fully expects Lewandowski to return to pre-season training next month.
“So far it’s 100 percent. July 12 is his first day at work, so I’m expecting him. But I’m not dealing with it now because we had other things to do,” Salihamidzic said.
Salihamidzic had been working on bringing Sadio Mane to Bayern, with the now former Liverpool forward seen as an ideal replacement should Lewandowski leave.
However, after Salihamidzic confirmed both he and Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn held talks with Lewandowski and his agent in Mallorca last week, he reiterated that the player has one year left on his contract and that the situation is “fixable”.
“I think we had a very good conversation,” Salihamidzic added. “It’s true, I was there. Oliver Kahn was there too, we talked, each side explained their position, but we also talked about the details I don’t want to talk [about]. But it was a good conversation.
“I’m convinced [he will stay]. He’s a professional and he has big goals in his career. That’s why it’s fixable.”
Asked about the possibility of Bayern accepting a tempting offer, Salihamidzic replied: “I don’t know. Like I said, I never deal with things that are in the air right now.
“I can only repeat it again: He has an employment contract until 2023. July 12 … he will be there for the first training session. At least I expect him [to].”
