Bayern could say they don't need me – Lewandowski accepts football's cut-throat nature

Robert Lewandowski has no plans to leave Bayern Munich before his contract expires in 2021, but accepts football's cut-throat nature could one day lead to the club telling him that he is not needed.

Lewandowski has represented remarkable value for Bayern since joining when his contract expired at Borussia Dortmund in 2014, scoring 82 Bundesliga goals in 100 appearances so far.

But his future is arguably as cloudy as it has ever been at Bayern, with the Poland star recently incurring the wrath of club CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge with criticism of their transfer policy.

Stefan Effenberg also criticised Lewandowski and urged Bayern to sell him, with speculation recently linking Real Madrid with interest in the 29-year-old.

But Lewandowski distanced himself from those reports and reiterated that it is his desire to remain with Bayern for the rest of his contract, though he is well aware that such a decision might not be up to him.

"You know how fast moving football is," he told 11Freunde.

"There are players who answer such questions [about leaving a club] with: 'I want to finish my career here.'

"Then the club turns around and says: 'Thanks, but we don't need you anymore.' But for me, what counts is that I have a contract until 2021 and we [Lewandowski and his family] feel very comfortable in Munich."

Bayern right-back Rafinha is another who has been the subject of speculation in recent months, with the Brazilian claiming he received concrete offers from Spanish and English clubs during the transfer window.

But, much like Lewandowski, he is eager to remain with the club while he is getting minutes on the pitch.

"I had offers from Spain or England ahead of this season," he told Bild. "The board knows that.

"But they can always rely on me; Bayern is in my heart. I always give my 100 percent.

"So I think the club understand that I want to play, but if that is not the case then I will have to think about my future."