BREAKING: SportBild reports that Lewandowski has informed Bayern Munich he wants out

In a move that will certainly send shock waves throughout the Bayern Munich fan base, the agent of Robert Lewandowski has informed the club that he wants to leave per a report in tomorrow’s print edition of SportBild.

This all began in February

The messenger in this case is Pini Zahavi—the deal maker who brokered Neymar’s move to Paris Saint-Germain last summer. Per a report on SportingNews.com that extracted a quote from the SportBild piece, Zahavi made it clear that Lewandowski is looking for a fresh start with a new test. He told SportBild,

Robert feels he needs a change and a new challenge in his career. The managers of Bayern know about it.

We first reported on Lewandowski’s signing with Zahavi on February 22nd. Given Zahavi’s reputation as the high-rolling wheeler-and-dealer who somehow convinced PSG that Neymar was worth over €222 million, it was easy to see that this had bad implications for Lewandowski’s future in Munich.

Since that time, there have been intermittent reports about various clubs that have been linked to Lewandowski, most prominently Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester United, and, funny enough, Paris Saint-Germain.

As recently as May 17th, we wrote about a dinner meeting between Lewandowski and Zahavi where it could now be assumed the final framework of the Pole’s off-season plan had been detailed.

Bayern Munich has been consistent, but will the club stand firmly behind its words?

Despite repeatedly stating Lewandowski is not for sale, it appears that Zahavi is going to do exactly what the Polish hitman has paid him to do: facilitate a move. The 29-year-old scoring machine has been the subject of constant rumblings since hiring Zahavi, but if the SportBild report tomorrow is to be believed, Bayern will now face the difficult task of digging in, holding their line, and forcing an unhappy player to stay—or giving in and trying to maximize their return in the form of another player and a transfer fee.

Building a global brand and the fallout of thinking people want it

Some players come to believe that their own personal brand is bigger than any team. While many stars have believed this in the past, very few have been able to fully execute making themselves a true brand. Michael Jordan? Sure. Cristiano Ronaldo? Absolutely. Tiger Woods? Definitely. Robert Lewandowski? Not really.

Lewandowski is in the camp of believing his game and his brand should be global, which is undoubtedly part of the driving force behind a potential move. That much self-belief is also partly why he often comes across as selfish or whiny during games. Like his act or not, the man has been productive, winning the Torjägerkanone for the third time this season and scoring 180 Bundesliga goals during his career in the Bundesliga.

Where to go from here

Upon seeing the official SportBild report, we will provide coverage on the information presented and give commentary as well. The report, however, does not appear to be strictly limited to Lewandowski. Information on Bayern’s strategy for Jerome Boateng, Arturo Vidal, Thiago Alcantara, and Juan Bernat also appears to be forthcoming as well.

So in other words . . . stay tuned to BavarianFootballWorks.com.