Robert Lewandowski set to sign Bayern Munich extension

Robert Lewandowski will sign a contract to remain with Bayern Munich through the end of the 2021 season, according SportBild. When he does sign the extension, it will end the current transfer speculation linking Lewandowski with a move to England or Spain.

Lewandowksi's current contract runs through 2019, but Bayern have been moving to extend the contracts of their stars ahead of this summer's transfer window. Very few clubs in the Bundesliga an afford to lock their players to big money, long-term contracts like Bayern can, but with the kind of money pouring into the Premier League, Bayern will have to move far quicker to wrap these guys up.

And, that brings us to the fear and loathing that lurks behind Bayern's contract-extension bonanza. Bayern Munich and its peers in the Bundesliga are terrified of the English Premier League. The lessons of Wolfsburg and Hoffenheim are sobering.

Last season, Wolfsburg finished second to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga and won its first ever German Cup. Yet in the ensuing offseason, Wolfsburg was helpless to keep its superstar Kevin De Bruyne. Manchester City signed him for a record-breaking fee of €75 million, outbidding even Bayern Munich. Unable to replace its superstar despite using those millions to sign Julian Draxler, Wolfsburg has struggled this season, currently sitting in 8th place.

The example of Hoffenheim is even starker: before City bought De Bruyne, the record for the most expensive Bundesliga transfer had just been set by Roberto Firmino, who was signed by Liverpool for a fee of €41 million. Finishing 8th last year, Hoffenheim currently are facing the prospect of relegation in 16th place.

Back in December, that reports out of Spain were that Carlo Anceloti wanted to keep Lewandowski in Munich. Imagine that. The new head coach of Bayern wants to keep the best striker in the world in Munich.

Bayern has already extended the contracts of David Alaba, Jerome Boateng, Javi Martinez, and Thomas Müller through 2021. Other stars like Thiago Alcantara, Manuel Neuer, Arturo Vidal, and Douglas Costa have several years on their contracts, while Kingsley Coman has another year left on his loan before Bayern can exercise the option to buy.