The 2022-23 Bundesliga season is set to begin in just over a month’s time, but there is still no end in sight to the Robert Lewandowski transfer saga.
The Bayern Munich star has made it clear that he wants to leave the Bundesliga, with Barcelona as his preferred destination, but the German champions are not budging on their preferred price for the prolific Pole.
Meanwhile, there is more striker news in Germany as Lewandowski’s likely replacement at Bayern, Sadio Mane, will wear the No 17 for the Bavarians. And Bayern’s rivals Borussia Dortmund have sealed the move to sign their replacement for Erling Haaland, Sebastien Haller.
Elsewhere, one of the breakout stars of last season, Union Berlin’s Taiwo Awoniyi, has made the switch to the Premier League as he has signed with newly promoted Nottingham Forest for a club-record fee.
So read on as SBOTOP rounds up all the biggest and latest Bundesliga 2022 news.
Bayern Munich hold firm on Lewandowski
Bayern Munich have no intention of letting Robert Lewandowski leave to Barcelona without getting what they believe he’s worth.
Bayern reportedly want €75 million for the Polish striker, which is far off from the €40m plus add-ons that Barca are willing to pay.
The 33-year-old Lewandowski has just one year left on his contract and has publicly stated his desire to depart Bayern. However, the German champions appear determined to get the best deal for them, so this transfer saga is nowhere near through.
Bayern prepared to sit Gnabry?
Apart from Lewandowski, Bayern also have another unsettled forward whose future remains up in the air: Serge Gnabry.
The 26-year-old is also on the final year of his contract and has yet to come to terms on an extension.
Bayern are reluctant to let Gnabry run out his contract, to the extent that if Gnabry declines to sign an extension, Bayern could opt not to play him this upcoming season, according to kicker.
Of course, that would be an extreme move by Bayern, who, despite their impressive depth up front, still need Gnabry’s production. The German international scored 14 goals – second on the team behind Lewandowski – and provided 5 assists in 34 Bundesliga appearances last season.
Sadio Mane picks new number
Meanwhile, it has been revealed that new Bayern Munich signing Sadio Mane will wear a new number for his new club.
“I picked out 17 from the free jersey numbers at FC Bayern and aim to celebrate many successes with my team and this number,” Mane said per the club’s official website.
“Now I’m really looking forward to starting preparations for the season with my new team-mates very soon.”
Mane had worn No. 10 in his previous stops at Liverpool, Southampton, and Red Bull Salzburg, but Leroy Sane already wears that number for Bayern. Mane also wore No. 19 after joining the Reds from Saints, but Alphonso Davies currently wears that.
Sebastien Haller close to Dortmund move
Borussia Dortmund’s busy summer continues as they are reportedly set to sign Ajax striker Sebastien Haller in a deal worth €31 million.
Haller, 28, spent one and a half seasons with Ajax, scoring 47 goals in just 66 appearances. He also netted 11 goals in 8 Champions League games last season.
Haller spent two seasons in the Bundesliga with Eintracht Frankfurt, scoring 33 goals in 77 appearances. He will help fill the sizable void left by Erling Haaland, who left this summer to sign with Manchester City.
Aside from Haller, BVB have already signed the centre-back pairing of Niklas Sule and Nico Schlotterbeck, Turkish midfielder Salih Özcan, and 20-year-old striker Karim Adeyemi as they look to improve their Bundesliga 2022 odds of winning the title.
Taiwo Awoniyi signs for Nottingham Forest
Premier League new boys Nottingham Forest have broken their club-record transfer fee to sign Union Berlin’s Taiwo Awoniyi for a reported £17 million.
After a loan spell in 2000, Union signed the 24-year-old Awoniyi on a permanent basis last summer from Liverpool and he became one of the breakout stars of the Bundesliga season. He scored 15 goals – sixth in the league – to help Union to a surprise fifth-place finish.
Union, who have already signed young striker Jamie Leweling from relegated Greuther Furth, have also been linked with another Nigerian in Stephen Odey to replace Awoniyi’s goal production for next season. Odey, 24, scored 7 goals in 23 games while on loan with Danish Superliga club Randers FC last season.
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