During an unprecedented era of player power, Robert Lewandowski is seeing how far he can push it in an attempt to exit Bayern Munich.
The German champions are notoriously stubborn on transfer and contract matters, maintaining that the Polish forward will only leave at the end of his contract in 2023.
Mundo Deportivo say that isn’t the whole truth though. Although the two clubs have to agree a transfer fee, the decisive factor will be what kind of replacements Bayern are able to bring to the club.
They picked up on a story from SkySport Germany that Bayern are looking to sign Liverpool star Sadio Mane this summer as well as Stuttgart target man Sasa Kalajdzic. Should they secure those deals, then Lewandowski will supposedly be allowed to join the Blaugrana.
This represents something of a quandary for Barcelona. Basing their transfer business on a central piece that requires several pieces to fall into place is risky as it could leave them waiting for a deal that may never happen.
That said, Lewandowski may well represent the best player that Barcelona can bring in this summer in terms of pure ability.