Hasan Salihamidzic says Bayern Munich’s front office will “do our job” to keep Robert Lewandowski

Robert Lewandowski’s contract situation at Bayern Munich has caused a lot of tension to build around the club. His current contract is set to expire at the end of next season, but it is the front office’s wish to get him to agree to a contract extension that would keep him in Munich beyond June 2023.

However, it is not as cut and try as just wanting the extension to happen and getting Lewandowski to put pen to paper. There are a lot of complications, most of which stem from financial losses posed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic has been under the proverbial microscope as the front man for Bayern’s transfer matters alongside Oliver Kahn and Herbert Hainer. He has taken the brunt of the criticism for discussions with Lewandowski for a new deal having not been initiated yet. Lothar Matthaus recently said it was “disrespectful” to the Polish striker. Salihamidzic is still committed to the task at hand, though.

Prior to Bayern’s 4-0 win over Union Berlin kicking off, Salihamidzic spoke to Sky Sport, affirming that the club’s front office has the proper plans in place to negotiate a new deal with Lewandowski. “Basically, we have our plans. I’ll be happy to share the results that we eventually have. We’ll do our job,” he said (Sport Bild).

Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images

It’s estimated that Lewandowski’s new salary after a new contract is signed would be roughly 24 million euros per year, something that would have to be considered with renewing the contracts for fellow veterans Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller. The pair of stars are also expected to sign new contracts prior to next summer. Serge Gnabry’s contract is also in question, though his potential renewal is not as expected as Neuer’s or Muller’s, or even Lewandowski’s, for that matter. “We have to make sure that we get the quality in the team and the economic component together,” Brazzo explained.

Brazzo also reiterated the fact that the club has not been impervious to financial setbacks from the pandemic, which hasn’t made squad planning and contract negotiating any easier. Most of the stars are being offered lower salaries than they otherwise would have been had it not been for the coronavirus pandemic. “We still have the pandemic, we still don’t have full stadiums. We are going through a difficult period financially,” he said, matching what both Kahn and Hainer have recently emphasized as well.