By TONY LITTLE
BORUSSIA DORTMUND’S stars are constantly ribbing Robert Lewandowski to snub a move to Manchester United and stay put “where he belongs”.
Lewandowski will be Dortmund’s big weapon in their Champions League quarter-final first leg at Malaga on Wednesday night.
And veteran keeper Roman Weidenfeller insisted the Poland hitman should stay at Dortmund — and also turn down any proposed move to Bayern Munich.
He said: “Of course we joke around when we are in different cities in Europe. We make jokes about his next destination but we’re just joking. Honestly, we would like to keep him here.
“Lewandowski is not only technical, he’s also very quick and has a feeling for goals, so whenever there’s a chance he senses it. Every club would be happy to have a player like him.
“The best place for Lewandowski is here in Dortmund and we hope to keep him. He grew to become a big player here and he belongs to this team.
“That’s what makes him so strong and such a strong asset to the team. He should stay because we work as a team and he is such a big part.”
Weidenfeller joked: “But in training I win every single one versus one. He can’t score past me.”
Manchester City’s Edin Dzeko has been a long-standing target for Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp — though he says the Bosnian would have to take a pay-cut to sign.
The Dortmund keeper added: “We know Dzeko, he’s a great player and a great person — but this is a decision for the management and I don’t want to comment on that.”
This week the spotlight will be on the glamour ties as David Beckham’s Paris St Germain host Barcelona and Bayern Munich face Juventus, with Didier Drogba’s Galatasary visiting Real Madrid.
Yet Dortmund are dark horses after topping a group that also included Madrid and City. They beat both at home and drew against both away after conceding last-gasp equalisers at Eastlands and in Madrid.
Their squad boasts some of Europe’s top talents in Mario Gotze, Marco Reus and Mats Hummels.
Weidenfeller said: “We have nothing to fear against Europe’s best teams. We’ve proved we have the ability to match Real Madrid and Manchester City and our self-esteem and confidence are high.
“We will take it step by step. It’s tough enough to win against Malaga and they’re our main focus now. It doesn’t make sense to take the second step before the first step.”
Weidenfeller, 32, praised boss Klopp who has transformed Dortmund and led them to back-to-back Bundesliga titles in the last two years.
He added: “After the team won the Bundesligas he became so popular — but it hasn’t changed him. He’s always full-on, on the touchline.
“He changed the team by having a very positive approach. He has a special mentality. Sometimes he is a bit crazy but in a positive way — the way he tries to get the fans involved.
“It was very important that he had the patience to let a very young team to develop.”
