Manchester City’s latest prodigy Erling Haaland says he ‘felt sorry’ for Robert Lewandowski after Bayern Munich had earlier tried to sign him as the Pole’s replacement.
As revealed in extracts from a documentary set to be released on this summer’s superstar Manchester City signing, the clips showed that Bayern were actually seriously considering going for Haaland from Borussia Dortmund as the existence of a release clause in the striker’s BVB contract signaled his availability for a special price, making him an even hotter target for Europe’s elite clubs, with Bayern being prime on the list.
Understandably the Bavarian juggernaut’s interest in the Norwegian peeved the Bundesliga’s all-time second-highest scorer, Lewandowski, who left the side this summer for Barcelona with a record of 344 goals in 375 games, eight league titles, and a European treble.
Unsurprisingly after news had leaked out about his club planning to hijack the Borussian Dortmund striker, Lewandowski began agitating for a move away from the Allianz Arena, with his agent, Pini Zahavi, confirming that it was in large part due to Haaland.
“Robert is a very intelligent person,” Zahavi told BILD. “Not just the best striker in the world.
“He knows exactly what is happening around him and what FC Bayern had planned. So Robert knew all along that Bayern wanted to replace him with Haaland.
“The football world is big, but there are no secrets.”
As expected, Bayern’s interest in Haaland certainly wasn’t a secret to the Norwegian either, who had actually discussed a possible switch between the Bundesliga sides during filming for the documentary ‘Haaland: The Big Decision’.
The 22-year-old hottest young striker in Europe empathised with the man he had duelled for to nab the Bundesliga’s Golden Boot, saying: “If I try to imagine how Lewandowski thinks…
“I don’t know how many goals and titles he has for the club. Then I do actually feel a little sorry for him.
“At the same time it’s a chance for him to take the next step in his career. It feels disrespectful, but at the same time it is an opportunity for him.”
Haaland’s dad and former Man City player, Alf Inge, added: ‘They [Bayern] have shown interest, they have.
“I understand they want to protect themselves. If he doesn’t end up there they will say ‘it was never on the agenda, we already have the best striker’.”
It was good that no hard feelings had developed between the two former Bundesliga dynamos as the recent friendly charity match between Barca and Man City in August revealed, and in fact on the contrary displaying their mutual admiration and respect.
The two were seen embracing pre-match at the Camp Nou before a long chat on the pitch.