Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski has asked to leave the club, his agent Pini Zahavi has said.
Lewandowski, 29, has scored 151 goals in 195 games since signing from Borussia Dortmund on a free transfer in 2014 and has been linked with Real Madrid, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United.
The Poland international has an agreement in place with Zahavi until the end of the summer transfer window and the agent, who played a pivotal role in Neymar’s world-record transfer from Barcelona to PSG, said he had decided to move on.
“Robert feels as if he needs a change and a new challenge in his career,” he told Sport Bild. “Bayern’s bosses have been informed.
“Money or a specific club are not Robert’s motivation for a move, as almost every top club would like to have the best striker in the world in their ranks.”
However, the Bundesliga champions would be highly reluctant to see Lewandowski leave the Allianz Arena.
Earlier this month, Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said: “No one needs to worry — Lewandowski will be playing for us next season,” while president Uli Hoeness stressed that the striker’s contract ran until 2021 and said: “We will show the football world that the club holds more power.”
However, Zahavi said: “Everyone in charge at Bayern had a great playing career themselves. They should understand his situation.”
Sport Bild reported that Madrid’s interest in Lewandowski has cooled and said only United would be willing to pay a €100 million transfer fee. The paper also claimed that Zahavi has a good relationship with United’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward.
Chelsea and PSG are reportedly reluctant to pay a huge fee but Chelsea could offer Alvaro Morata in a swap deal, while PSG could do the same with Edinson Cavani.
Mark Lovell covers Bayern Munich for ESPN FC. Follow him on Twitter: @LovellLowdown.
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