Barcelona will offer Sergino Dest to Bayern Munich as part of a bid to sign Robert Lewandowski, who has expressed his desire to join Xavi Hernandez 's revolution at the Camp Nou, according to reports.
The Poland captain recently fired his nation to the World Cup finals in Qatar, scoring a penalty in their play-off clash with Sweden on Tuesday, but now his club future is in the spotlight. Lewandowski is on course to become a free agent in June 2023 when his contract at Bayern expires, with the Bundesliga champions yet to open talks over a new deal.
Bayern's situation means that they must sell the 2021 Ballon d'Or runner-up during this year's summer transfer window in order to recoup a fee - and Lewandowski has already set the wheels in motion. It has been claimed by Catalan outlet Sport, via ESPN, that the 33-year-old has said 'yes' to a move to Barcelona, who are enjoying a resurgence under former captain and current manager Xavi, setting their sights on signing a top-class striker ahead of next season.
Lewandowski is believed to be valued at around £54million by his current employers, a price which the Blaugrana are hoping to bring down by including out of favour right-back Dest in the transfer, who was eyed by the German behemoths when the young American left Ajax in 2019, ultimately deciding on Barca.
Therefore, a swap deal which sees the prolific Pole join the La Liga giants in return for Dest plus cash could prove mutually beneficial - but Barcelona have a Plan B. The Blaugrana have already shortlisted Arsenal 's Alexandre Lacazette as backup option, according to reports, with the Frenchman's contract expiring in three months' time.
Lacazette, who has not ruled out extending his stay in north London by agreeing a new deal, would reunite with ex-Arsenal star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in joining Barca, as the pair's four-year partnership at the Emirates came to an abrupt end during the January window.
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Boss Mikel Arteta hopes to keep the experienced forward in his ranks beyond this term and was recently quizzed on the topic. "We have discussions as you know and at the end of the season, once we know where we are, we will make a decision all together," the Gunners boss told reporters ahead of the international break.
"I don't want anyone to think about something else that is not that. The decision, we agreed, is to do it in the summer and we're going to do it as soon as the season is finished." Arteta was then probed on whether Lacazette would be happy to delay a decision on his future until the end of the campaign, potentially limiting the former Lyon hitman's options.
"That's a question for him," the Spaniard replied, still selecting Lacazette to lead the line on a weekly basis as Arsenal look to finish fourth in the Premier League. "But obviously we have to make decisions and we made that decision to finalise that at the end of the season. That's what we're going to have to do."
