The Bayern Bulletin: Statements on Lewandowski, Hoeneß's D-Day

Klopp, Rummenigge Confirming Lewi Rumors

Originally, the Lewandowski-to-Bayern-in-2014 speculation was, well just speculation. Now prominent voices are coming out to give their own two cents on the situation.

Let's just blow through the stuff we already know; Robert Lewandowski will not extend his contract, which runs out in 2014. Lewandowski wants to move to Bayern, at least according to his agents, despite interest in non-German football clubs. Hans Joachim Watzke, Dortmund's director of football, does not want to sell him to Bayern this summer.

Now, the big news on Sunday was that Jürgen Klopp believes that Lewandowski will come to Bayern, but that is really just a slice of what he really was intending to say.

"I think it is a fact that Robert Lewandowski will join Bayern at the end of the coming season. What matters now is what we do before that point. That is our concern, and we have an obligation to our fans to ensure we are competitive in the coming season.

"To a point, we were willing to discuss Robert’s desire to move, but since nothing happened during that period, we eventually had to say: ‘So now it no longer works for us’. And now we want to prove we can be successful in the coming year with a quality player like Robert.

"It is all about our results in the coming season, and I know Robert sees things the same way.

"I have great confidence in our fans, but I also know that such issues are put to the test when things are working out. If we lose a game because Robert misses a shot, you have to stay cool and show that you understand the big picture."

Jürgen Klopp, Welt am Sonntag via ESPN FC

The newer, well, news is that Karl Heinz-Rummenigge believes that Dortmund already know that Lewandowski wants to move to Bayern once his contract expires.

"I assume they are quite aware of that in Dortmund."

"I have the impression, that the issue from Mr. Watzke stands. He has already put on the record that Lewandowski must stay."

Karl Heinz-Rummenigge via Sport Bild

So now, what has changed from what we already know? Well, nothing, just that Klopp and Rummenigge have come out publically to acknowledge the situation. In Klopp's case, he was addressing a question on how he will handle the fact that he will have a player that wants to play for another team.

Dortmund have signed 24-year-old Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Saint-Étienne. That still was not an indicator that Lewandowski will move this summer, but now they have a contingency plan when Lewandowski leaves.

Charges Against Hoeneß

Munich prosecutors could charge Hoeneß on tax evasion as soon as this month, according to Bild.The tax evasion came from a Swiss bank account, which he self reported on January 17.

The investigation, which started in March when they searched Hoeneß's house, is still ongoing.

Since his evasion totals more than €1 million, German law says that he could face possible jail time. How much? A criminal law expert out of Cologne, Jan Heeg, explained to Bild that Hoeneß could face a fine or could serve up to five years in jail. The absolute worst, Heeg said, would be ten years in jail.

Hoeneß handed in his resignation in May, which Bayern refused, so it will be interesting to see what happens to his standing at the club if does have to face jail time.

In Case You Missed It...

Julian Draxler did an extensive interview with Die Welt, where they asked him about Götze's transfer to Bayern:

"I can comprehend the decision as an athlete. At this moment, Bayern is the ne plus ultra. Then I can understand, that Mario wants to play there and use a chance to train under Pep Guardiola. At the same time, I can understand the fans, that they are disappointed in him. But the criticism must remain in scale and can't be allowed to be offensive."

Julian Draxler, Die Welt

Rummenigge did not just discuss Lewandowski when he arrived in camp, but also other transfers, including the impending Gómez move to AS Fiorentina:

"We're just working on the final details. They want to unveil Mario in Florence on Thursday. We're losing a player with a magnificent record. Mario was a good player to bring to Bayern, and he's always conducted himself properly and likeably. There's a World Cup at the end of the season, and he wants to be a regular for Germany. He thinks his best chance is to go to Florence. I'm sure he'll have a successful spell there. Mario will help Italian football, and contribute to Fiorentina moving even higher up the table. The people in Florence are very enthusiastic because of him."

"It's still relatively early, and we don't have any concrete plans at the moment. But let's wait and see what happens in the market. We're known for occasionally doing the unexpected, as we did with Javi Martinez last year. If anything reasonable became available, we'd talk it through internally."

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge via FC Bayern's Official Website

Do you think that Bayern should make any more transfers before the season starts? Vote and comment below!

Bayern next play a Friendly against Brescia Calcio on Tuesday, four days after demolishing the Paulauner XI 13-0.

Enjoy your week! And thanks for reading.