The Germany midfielder admitted that he spoke to Jupp Heynckes' side about a summer transfer while he believes he can win some silverware to catch up with brother Sven's haul

I called a few times in the summer with Bayern but Bayer blocked the topic very quickly. Thus, the issue for me was off the table," he told Express.de.



" A request from Bayern makes you proud. But I had just extended my contract in Leverkusen in 2017 and you do not know if it would be the right club for you."



The midfielder's failure to secure a move meant he was unable to play alongside international partner Bastian Schweinsteiger at club level, but Bender was happy to receive praise from the 28-year-old after the Bayern Munich midfielder had said that Germany would have beaten Sweden in their epic 4-4 draw during the last round of World Cup qualifiers, if Bender had been playing.



He added: " I was not there. But if that is what he said, it makes me naturally proud. It shows that I have not done so much wrong in my career so far.



"When a player like Schweinsteiger says so, that is an honour for me."



The 23-year-old is yet to win a Bundesliga title at Leverkusen, with twin brother Sven already the owner of two championship medals with Borussia Dortmund.



But Lars believes that it is only a matter of time before he begins to catch his sibling up in the silverware stakes.



Bender continued: " A title is a dream of every player. In our team, it's really what's inside. So far we have not got over the final hurdle. But it is a must for the club and we must get there soon.



"I can catch him up. But I do not grudge him the trophies. We both know that we must be thankful that we can both live our dream. It's wonderful that we're both so successful."



