Bayern Munich's CEO Oliver Khan claims "we identify" Robert Lewandowski's illustrious career with his success at Allianz Arena, insisting it's a similar situation with Lionel Messi at Barcelona and Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid.
Khan made the comparison after being asked about the 33-year-old's future. He has just 14 months remaining on his existing deal and Barcelona are reportedly interested in signing him amid rumours he's refusing to agree an extension in Germany.
Lewandowski has won 25 club honours since starting his career in his native Poland more than a decade ago, with 18 of those trophies lifted at Bayern. He joined the Bundesliga outfit in the summer of 2014 after his contract expired at Borussia Dortmund.
Many fans still remember Lewandowski for his four-year spell at Dortmund, where he lifted back-to-back titles. But it's at Bayern where his exploits have really impressed. He's scored an eye-watering 150 goals since the start of the 2019-20 campaign.
It was a similar situation for Ronaldo when he left Manchester United for Real in the summer of 2009. The Portuguese ace's best return at Old Trafford was the 42 goals he scored in the 2007-08 campaign, 19 fewer than his best tally at the Bernabeu in 2014-15.
Messi, meanwhile, has managed just eight goals at Paris Saint-Germain this season, some way off the 38 he scored during his final season at Barcelona - and a long way off his best tally of 73, recorded during the 2011-12 campaign.
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"As of today, Robert has a contract with us for next season," Kahn - an ex-goalkeeper who made 632 appearances for Bayern between 1994 and 2008 - told Sport1 . "We are in contact with Robert and want him to stay at Bayern for as long as possible.
"Apparently, some believe that such talks and contract negotiations are just like an online manager game, where I click on something and he then extends his contract. You also have to look at the situation of the players.
"Players who have performed well at this club for many years are outstanding. Robert became a world-class footballer with us. Robert is a player who has the potential to score 30-40 goals every year. Of course, at some point, players like this get the idea that 'I've achieved everything here and won everything'. Then it takes time to convince him to stay here.
"Let's look at the examples of players who changed clubs. What do we identify Ronaldo with? For his time at Real Madrid. What do we identify Messi with? For his time at Barcelona. It's the same with Robert.
"And by the way, such conversations also deal with financial matters. We all know that we have two very difficult years behind us. As a club, you have to think about how you can still manage all of this in the current situation because FC Bayern has also suffered from these last two years.
"We decide when FC Bayern will start contract talks. We know very well what we owe to this player. It's also about having a respectful exchange with the player. We don't let anyone put us under pressure."
