Robert Lewandowski: Bayern fear for Barcelona's future as they demand cash upfront

In the modern game, arrangements to pay large transfer fees in instalments are increasingly becoming the norm. However, Bayern Munich reportedly have no interest in such a payment plan if Barcelona are to sign their star striker Robert Lewandowski this summer.

Lewandowski now has less than a year left to run on his contract at the Allianz Arena and has made it clear that he no longer wants to play for Bayern.

The 33-year-old seemingly has his heart set on a move to Barcelona, with the La Liga giants just as keen to bring him to Camp Nou.

Bayern, though, won’t let Lewandowski go on the cheap. The Bavarian outfit is believed to want as much as £52 million for the Polish international, who has notched an incredible 344 goals in 375 appearances while in Germany.

The shocking state of Barca’s finances has been well-known for some time now, leading Bayern to insist upon full payment upfront if they are to allow Lewandowski to depart.

Last month, the Barcelona board approved the sale of a percentage of both its merchandising and television revenue in a bid to bring much-need funds into the club’s coffers.

Quiz: Can you guess the player from their Wikipedia career path?

However, according to The Athletic’s Raphael Honigstein​, Bayern see that move as a short-term fix and are even concerned that Barca could fold within the next two years as a result of their fiscal woes.

“Bayern have told Barcelona ‘we don’t want any instalments because we’re not sure you’re going to be around in one or two years’ time, we want all the money upfront, in cash,” Honigstein told The Totally Football Show podcast. “It’s one of the deal’s sticking points.”

The true extent of Barcelona’s money troubles became apparent last summer when they were