The agent of Robert Lewandowski appears to have dashed Alex Ferguson’s hopes of signing the Borussia Dortmund striker in the close season by stating he is interested in playing in the Premier League in the future but that is not “this summer”.
Manchester City have also been linked with a move for the in-demand forward, with a cash-plus-player exchange transfer which would see Edin Dzeko go in the opposite direction having been mooted.
Lewandowski has a year remaining on his contract at Dortmund, with Ferguson admitting he is an admirer and would like to add him to his United squad. Yet asked if the 24-year-old would like to play in the Premier League, Maik Barthel said: "I can tell you only one thing – Robert is interested in the future coming to the Premier League. How long is the future, I cannot say to you. I think this summer is not the future."
Gotze position
Lewandowski's team-mate, Mario Gotze, will sign for Bayern Munich at the end of the season, and reports in Germany last week claimed the Polish striker has already agreed to join him. This followed Lewandowski scoring all four goals in the 4-1 defeat of Real Madrid in last week's opening Champions League semi-final leg at the Westfalenstadion.
The report was denied by Bayern, who said there had been “no contract with Robert Lewandowski”, while Dortmund insist the player is not for sale and they are prepared to run down his contract. Barthel would not be drawn when asked if Lewandowski would sign for Bayern. “I don’t know,” he said.
At the weekend Ferguson said: “If the right player comes along you have to be prepared to make a move. I am not sure Lewandowski will be sold to Bayern now. I think they will either let his contract run out, or sell him somewhere else.”
United interest
United first expressed a serious interest in Lewandowski before last summer's European Championships in Poland and Ukraine in which he scored in his country's 1-1 draw with Greece in the tournament's opening match in June. Ferguson had been present at Dortmund's 5-2 win over Bayern Munich in the German Cup final the previous month, where he saw Lewandowski score a hat-trick, and during Euro 2012 the striker refused to answer questions about United after Franciszek Smuda, the Poland coach, stated then that "Lewy is going to Manchester United".
Lewandowski has 23 goals in 26 Bundesliga starts for Dortmund this season. He has scored 85 goals in 153 league appearances for the club, and Lech Poznan, his previous side, since the 2008-9 season. In 53 appearances for Poland he has managed 17 strikes, after making his debut in 2008 for the senior national side.
Guardian Service
