Real Madrid have held talks with striker Robert Lewandowski, his agent has confirmed, while Bayern Munich said they will pay whatever it takes to keep him.
"Real Madrid approached us a few weeks ago, we have listened to everything and informed Bayern that we have held talks," Lewandowski's agent Cezary Kucharski told German magazine Der Spiegel.
According to reports in the German media, Madrid are prepared to pay the Poland striker €25 million (Dh102m) per season.
Lewandowski finished the season as the Bundesliga’s top scorer, when he became the first foreigner to score 30 league goals plus nine in the Uefa Champions League, a tally of 42 in all competitions.
It was the first time a player has scored 30 goals in a single Bundesliga season in nearly 40 years.
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Lewandowski, 27, has been on Madrid’s radar since he scored four goals against them in the 2013 Champions League semi-final for previous club Borussia Dortmund.
He has a contract in Munich until 2019, but has made it clear he is weighing up his options at German champions Bayern, who he joined in 2014 on a free transfer from Dortmund
The Champions League, or European Cup, which Madrid won for the 11th time in Saturday’s final, is the only club title to have eluded Lewandowski at Dortmund and Bayern.
“I’ve been in Germany for six years, have won everything here. Sometimes you have to consider whether it makes sense to try something new,” Lewandowski said.
But Bayern’s chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has said the Bavarian giants have “no pain barrier” when it comes to what they will pay to keep the striker in Munich.
"One thing I know for sure: Robert Lewandowski will play in the upcoming season at Bayern Munich. There is no need to think anything else," Rummenigge is quoted in magazine Kicker.
“The decision has been made: we won’t let Robert Lewandowski go, regardless of what offer lands on the table.
“There is no pain-barrier (to what Bayern will pay) when it comes to Robert.”
Lewandowski has so far avoided joining fellow Bayern stars Manuel Neuer, Thomas Mueller, Jerome Boateng, David Alaba and Javier Martinez who have all extended their Munich contracts until 2021.
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The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
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MATCH INFO
Liverpool v Manchester City, Sunday, 8.30pm UAE
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2019 ASIAN CUP FINAL
Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Most F1 world titles
7 — Michael Schumacher (1994, ’95, 2000, ’01 ’02, ’03, ’04)
7 — Lewis Hamilton (2008, ’14,’15, ’17, ’18, ’19, ’20)
5 — Juan Manuel Fangio (1951, ’54, ’55, ’56, ’57)
4 — Alain Prost (1985, ’86, ’89, ’93)
4 — Sebastian Vettel (2010, ’11, ’12, ’13)
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
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- Is there a God?
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- Can we predict the future?
- Is time travel possible?
- Will we survive on Earth?
- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
- Should we colonise space?
- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
- How do we shape the future?
MATCH INFO
CAF Champions League semi-finals first-leg fixtures
Tuesday:
Primeiro Agosto (ANG) v Esperance (TUN) (8pm UAE)
Al Ahly (EGY) v Entente Setif (ALG) (11PM)
Second legs:
October 23
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Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
