Nagelsmann wants clarity over Lewandowski’s Bayern future

Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann wants to decide the future of star striker Robert Lewandowski so he can plan for next season after winning the Bundesliga for the tenth consecutive season.

Lewandowski was hesitant to reveal his ambitions as the title celebrations raged last Saturday after a home win over Dortmund that ensured Bayern could not be caught.

The Pole’s contract with Bayern Munich expires in 2023, but despite Bayern’s assurances that he will return the next season, persistent rumours link the 33-year-old to Barcelona.

On Thursday, Lewandowski’s agent, Pini Zahavi, met with Bayern’s senior executives in a Munich restaurant, but no progress was made for a contract renewal.

“Basically, it’s always good to have planning security – in all areas of life, including the strikers,” Nagelsmann said Friday. “That’s why I would also like us to reach an agreement.”

Nagelsmann is irritated by the constant speculation, adding: “I must have said 50 times that I would like him to stay.”

Lewandowski, twice named FIFA’s best male player, has won all of Bayern’s titles since joining on a free transfer from Dortmund in 2014.

He’s on track to win the Bundesliga’s top scorer award for the sixth consecutive season, and he can add to his 33 goals in Saturday’s away match at Mainz.

If Lewandowski starts, he will be without his forward partner Thomas Mueller, who is unable to go to Mainz due to illness, according to Nagelsmann.

Freiburg can reclaim a position in the Champions League with a win against Hoffenheim on Saturday, before RB Leipzig, who are currently fourth, go to Moenchengladbach on Monday.

Leipzig will have more time to recover after their 1-0 home win against Rangers in the first leg of the semi-final put them in the Europa League final four days ago. The second leg will take place at Ibrox on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Felix Magath, the renowned Bundesliga coach, has compared maintaining Hertha Berlin in the top flight to winning a “gold” medal.

Magath has managed to lift Hertha out of the relegation zone and into 15th place, four points ahead of 16th, with three games remaining.

With a win over second-bottom Bielefeld on Saturday, Hertha can take another step towards safety.

Hertha is on the verge of securing a ninth consecutive season in Germany’s first division after victory against Augsburg and Stuttgart, but Magath says the fight is far from over.

“By no means do we already have ‘gold’,” said Magath, but the 68-year-old who coached both Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg to Bundesliga titles said Hertha could “now go for silver” with a third consecutive victory.

One to watch: Erling Haaland

The 21-year-old star striker went scoreless in Bayern’s top-of-the-table defeat last Saturday and has been dealing with an ankle injury that has limited him to two goals in his last seven outings.

The issue that has afflicted Haaland in recent weeks, according to Borussia Dortmund coach Marco Rose, has fully healed. “We’ve got it under our control.”

Dortmund host Bochum on Saturday, and it’s possible that this may be Haaland’s final home game in the famed yellow shirt, amid reports that he’ll join Manchester City next season.

Key stats

2,000 – rounds of matches the Bundesliga will celebrate this weekend. Of that figure, Bayern Munich have been top on 829 matchdays.

17,969 – games played in Germany’s top flight since the Bundesliga started in August 1963.

310 – Bundesliga goals scored by Lewandowki in 381 games for both Bayern and former club Dortmund.

Fixtures (all times 1330 GMT unless stated)

Saturday

Borussia Dortmund v VfL Bochum, VfB Stuttgart v VfL Wolfsburg, Mainz v Bayern Munich, Augsburg v Cologne, Arminia Bielefeld v Hertha Berlin (1330), Hoffenheim v Freiburg (1630)

Monday

Bayer Leverkusen v Eintracht Frankfurt, Bor. Moenchengladbach v RB Leipzig (1830)

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