Barcelona are reportedly lining up a move for Villarreal forward Gerard Moreno as a 'Plan B' in case their proposed move for Robert Lewandowski falls through this summer.
The Catalan giants are hoping to sign the Poland international from Bayern Munich with Lewandowski keen to make the switch to La Liga. However, Bayern do not want to lose their star man and are trying to keep him at the Allianz Arena until at least the end of the 2022/23 season.
This is when Lewandowski's current deal runs out, meaning he will then be free to find a new club. With the 33-year-old entering the latter stages of his career, Barca do not want to wait much longer to sign the forward.
Xavi Hernandez's side are now also exploring alternatives in case the Lewandowski's situation becomes too complicated. According to Diario Sport via Sport, Moreno has been named as a potential target for Barca and Xavi feels that the Villarreal man meets his requirements, having netted 13 goals in 27 games last season.
Despite having a release clause of around £85million, the Yellow Submarine are willing to negotiate and could accept around £34million for the 30-year-old this summer. This is a similar figure to what Barca are planning to invest to sign Lewandowski from Bayern.
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid have also expressed an interest in signing Moreno as they try to replace Luis Suarez, who is set to leave the club this summer. Moreno has scored 76 goals in 159 matches since joining Villarreal from Espanyol in 2018.
Lewandowski is still Barca's top priority but it seems as though Bayern could prove to be difficult negotiators in the deal. Chief Executive Oliver Khan stated last month that he and the German champions are not prepared to lose Lewandowski before his contract expires next summer.
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"This question does not arise," Kahn told Welt. "Robert Lewandowski has a contract until 2023, and he will fulfil it."
Bayern president Herbert Hainer added : "A contract is a contract! Where are we going if a player can end a contract prematurely while we as a club would have to pay him in full up to the last day of the term? I was a bit surprised that Robert chose to go public, I wouldn't have done it in his place.
"Bayern is a club that treats its players very well, that does everything to enable them to perform at their best. And I have to say, appreciation is not a one-way street!"
"We're in the fortunate position that we don't have any financial difficulties," he added. "We want to have the best players and Robert is one of the best. That's why I'm confident that he'll be with us again next season. Robert is a full professional, he wants to play football."
