Chelsea have joined FC Barcelona in the race for Bayern Munich’s wantaway striker Robert Lewandowski. The Pole will leave the Bavarians – either this summer or the next – after opting to run down his deal.
The forward will leave the club this summer or the next. The 33-year-old has decided not to renew his deal with the Bavarians, which runs out in 2023, leaving the club with a decision to make: do they sell him immediately for compensation, or do they wait another year and risk losing him for free?
In a recent interview, Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic confirmed the same, hinting at the latter.
“I spoke to Lewa. In the conversation, he told me that he did not want to accept our offer to extend the contract and that he would like to leave the club,”
“He said that he would like to do something else. But our attitude hasn’t changed. Lewa has a contract until June 30, 2023. That’s a fact. I don’t deal with that because our stance has always been clear.”
Salihimidzic said.
Barcelona have been linked with a move for Lewandowski in recent weeks with the Spanish media confirming that contacts have taken place between the club and the player’s representatives. Barca are ready to offer the 33-year-old a three-year deal, but first, have to create room for the forward in their salary cap.
The Spanish giants are also waiting to learn Bayern’s price tag for Lewandowski this summer before coming up with the initial offer; Transfermarkt values the striker at 50 million euros.
But, Barcelona are not the only club interested in retaining Lewandowski’s services. As per Goal, Premier League giants Chelsea are closely monitoring the situation surrounding the forward and could pounce on the opportunity to sign, should one such arrives. The Blues have had three attempts to sign the forward rebuffed in the past, but they are persisting with their interest, with head coach Thomas Tuchel keen to work with the Poland international.
Lewandowski heads into the summer transfer window on the back of a 50-goal season. The forward has so far registered 344 goals in 375 appearances for the Bavarians over eight years – only once has he failed to score fewer than 40 goals in a season.
