'Bayern don't need Haaland... we have Lewandowski!' - Rummenigge praises 'animal' Dortmund star & denies Dybala interest

Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinze Rummenigge has praised the contribution of striker Robert Lewandowski to his team over the past year, saying the club do not need to consider signing Erling Haaland from rivals Borussia Dortmund while they already have the deadliest No.9 in world football.

The Poland international striker scored 55 times in 47 matches last season as Bayern dominated both the domestic and European scene. He has continued that remarkable form into the 2020-21 campaign, with 15 goals coming in 15 games plus five assists.

His efforts have led Bayern to a succession of titles, including the Champions League, which was sealed with a 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain.

Haaland, meanwhile, has burst onto the scene as another of Europe's top attacking talents, first with Red Bull Salzburg and then with Dortmund in the Bundesliga and Champions League.

It is likely that Haaland will eventually leave Dortmund at some point in his career and while Rummenigge is a big admirer of the young Norwegian, he says the presence of their Polish front man means they won't be in the market for the 20-year-old just yet.

Rummenigge told Tuttosport of Lewandowski: "We don’t need Haaland as we have Lewandowski, but he’s an animal, he’s scoring a lot of goals, he deserves the Golden Boy [award]."

Lewandowski joined Bayern in 2014 from Dortmund and has since established himself as a club legend by scoring 261 times in 304 games for the Allianz Arena club.

Rummenigge is worried the coronavirus crisis, which caused the cancellation of the Ballon d’Or this year, will overshadow the forward’s achievements.

"Robert was the best of them all in 2020," he said. "He scored a lot of goals and won five trophies. It was really impossible to do better than him.

"I called Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, and point out that it’s not nice that in 2020, without the Ballon d’Or, there will be a hole in the roll of honour for the best player in the world.

"The most important leagues, despite the coronavirus, have come to an end and the strongest players have made a difference even during the time of Covid-19. Lewandowski most of all."

Rummenigge also moved to play down suggestions that Juventus forward Paulo Dybala is another target to strengthen Bayern's attacking options.

He said: "We’ve never opened talks with Dybala’s agent. I’ve heard some rumours but it’s false. We’re not working to sign Dybala from Juventus."

Bayern remain the team to beat as 2020 draws to a close. They are top of the Bundesliga, having suffered a single defeat in their first 10 matches of the season, while they cruised through in the Champions League, sealing top spot in their group after just four matches.