Robert Lewandowski Reportedly 'Continues to Dream' of Real Madrid Transfer

Robert Lewandowski is reportedly "pushing to leave Bayern Munich" this summer as he "continues to dream" of signing for Real Madrid.

According to Marca's Juan Ignacio Garcia-Ochoa, sources close to the player have said his ambitions of joining Los Blancos remain intact and that "he believes he has come to the end of the road" at Bayern.

The story made the newspaper's cover on Sunday:

Real are aware of his desire to join them, having discussed a move with his agent, Pini Zahavi. They are prepared to pay a "reasonable price" to secure his signature.

However, Bayern are resisting a move, and Los Blancos do not want to sour a positive relationship with the German club by entering into a "war" with them over the striker.

What's more, despite selling Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus, Madrid are said to be content with the cover they have up front and aren't "desperate" to bring in a new goalscorer.

They might want to rethink that stance, though, given Ronaldo netted 44 goals last season and Karim Benzema scored just 12. Even if Ronaldo's departure allows the Frenchman to be more selfish in front of goal, he hasn't surpassed 30 in a campaign since 2011/12.

By contrast, Lewandowski has scored more than 40 goals in each of the past three seasons, so he's about as close as you can get to a ready-made replacement for Ronaldo in terms of goal contribution.

Here's a look at some of his highlights from last season:

Lewandowski turns 30 on August 21, so while he's at the peak of his powers, it's understandable Real are employing caution rather than offering an enormous sum to land him.

He's crucial to Munich's success and contracted until 2021, so it's equally not a surprise the Bavarians are determined to keep hold of him.

Unless they are prepared to soften their stance or Real decide they are willing to splash the cash on Lewandowski, a move this summer seems unlikely.