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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Colin Millar

Robert Lewandowski sent brutal message by Bayern Munich after secret Xavi meeting emerges

Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic has hit out at Robert Lewandowski following the striker's transfer to Barcelona.

The Catalan club's president Joan Laporta has claimed that Lewandowski rejected the opportunities to join Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain this summer. This contradicts reports that Bayern did not receive any other offers for the striker, who will next month celebrate his 34th birthday.

A report from El Pais outlines how Barca paid €60million (£51m) for the transfer, which is €10million more than the amount announced by both clubs – claiming that this was done so that Barca could save face publicly. Elsewhere, Spanish radio station Onda Cero say that a €20million payment was given to Lewandowski's agent Pini Zahavi to complete the deal.

That led to Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann voicing his criticism of Barca's transfer business, with the club signing a quartet of players already with Lewandowski joining free agents Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie, alongside a £55m swoop to sign Raphinha from Leeds United.

Nagelsmann critically said of Barca's transfer approach this summer: "It is the only club in the world that have no money, but then buy all the players they want. I don't know how they do it. It's a bit strange, a bit crazy."

The German champions' sporting director Salihamidzic has now hit out at Lewandowski's decision to join the Blaugrana. The decorated former winger added that the Poland international's conduct had disappointed him and he could not understand why he acted in the manner he did.

Have Your Say! How many goals will Lewandowski score for Barcelona this season? Tell us what you think here.

Lewandowski won the Bundesliga title in all eight seasons he spent at Bayern (Getty Images)

Earlier this summer, Lewandowski declared that his career at the club was "over" after he told the Bundesliga giants that he 'won't sign a new deal'. The player's demands came after a reported falling out between Lewandowski and Nagelsmann. That report added that this was not the only clash between the striker and the leaders at the club, where there is said to have been an increasingly uneasy relationship. That has culminated in his summer exit.

Lewandowski has subsequently confirmed that he held a meeting with Barca boss Xavi Hernandez in Ibiza this summer, which had not been sanctioned by the German club.

Salihamidzic has now spoken out about the striker's departure: "My understanding towards Lewandowski's attitude is really zero point zero. Nothing. As a player, I would have tried to clarify my situation internally to sort out my situation and I would have fulfilled my contract."

Lewandowski netted an astonishing 344 goals across eight seasons at the Bavarian club, whom he joined from Borussia Dortmund in 2014, including bagging 153 goals in the past three campaigns alone.

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