Why Lewandowski Is the 1 Player Bayern Munich Cannot Afford to Lose This Summer

In recent months, Bayern Munich have prepared for the departure of Pep Guardiola quite well.

The Bavarian giants have ensured that the former Barcelona trainer will not take any of his current stars with him to Manchester City, having tied down Thomas Muller, Manuel Neuer, Jerome Boateng, David Alaba and Javi Martinez with long-term contracts, each staying on their payroll until 2021. 

Bayern's efforts to retain their key players have been admirable and extremely effective. However, there remains one highly coveted, valuable player with whom they have not prolonged their working agreement: Robert Lewandowski.

In late March, it seemed that Lewandowski was set to extend his current contract by two years. Bild (h/t David F. Sanchidrian of AS) reported that he'd agreed to commit his future with the Bavarian giants until 2021, falling in line with many of his teammates.

Yet over a month later, there has been no official confirmation from the player or his club. Maybe there has been a dispute over wages. Or maybe the player was approached with other, attractive offers he wanted to consider before putting pen to paper.

The same AS report claimed interest from Real Madrid, while the Independent's Miguel Delaney reported in January that Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea were keen on signing Lewandowski.

Regardless of current transfer narratives, it's understandable how a striker on the Poland international's level would be desirable to any club, and Europe's heavyweights will have no trouble shelling out enough cash to pay him a princely wage. Yet Bayern cannot afford to let him go this summer, not at any price.

Strikers are extremely difficult to replace, especially in today's game. It's rare to see a club play with more than one centre-forward, meaning that the burden of playing as the striker will rest on the shoulders of one player.

At a club like Bayern, where victory is expected every week, it's absolutely vital to have a reliable scorer in the focal point of attack. The striker is the player most capable of scoring goals due to his position, so having a reliable finisher is essential.

Bayern need only to look at Borussia Dortmund to understand what could happen in the absence of Lewandowski.

In 2014-15, BVB's first season without the Poland international, both Ciro Immobile and Adrian Ramos failed to pick up the slack. Dortmund went from Bundesliga runners-up with 71 points and 80 goals scored in 2013-14, to seventh with 46 points and 47 goals scored a year later.

Dortmund had bought good strikers in Lewandowski's place; Ramos and Immobile had had good seasons at Hertha BSC and Torino, respectively, prior to their signing. But it seems they had reached their ceiling before moving to the Westfalenstadion.

Bayern would have a greater budget to use to replace Lewandowski, but the fact of the matter is that there are few players who could compare and be available.

Luis Suarez is probably the only striker in the world on a par with Lewandowski, and the Barcelona man would be impossible to buy. All others would be a downgrade for one reason or another; that is how great and complete a player the Pole is.

Even if Bayern were to find a suitable replacement, there is the issue of making the player fit into the team. 

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ended up being Dortmund's main striker last season and did generally well, but he only truly reached the next level this season. It's understandable, given that the Gabon international is a different player from his predecessor.

Looking at the options Bayern could consider, few even have the potential to approach Lewandowski's greatness.

Perhaps a young player like Romelu Lukaku might eventually approach the Bayern man's class. But the German giants need goals every week and would rather avoid the risk of putting their faith in one young player with no UEFA Champions League experience.

That is why Bayern must do everything they can to convince Lewandowski to stay, preferably with a contract extension.

Consistency within a squad is vital towards sustained success, and as it stands, Bayern have one of the very best strikers in the world. They've done well to tie down other key players in recent months, but the future of the most important one still remains in the balance.

@Mr_Bundesliga