Manchester United are ready to join the race for Bayern Munich's wantaway forward Robert Lewandowski, according to the Daily Star.
The Pole has established himself as one of Europe's elite marksman but wants to quit the German side after eight years at the Allianz Arena. He has just 12 months left on his deal and now has his sights set on a new challenge elsewhere.
United could be about to offer him the chance to prove himself in the Premier League, despite Barcelona being Lewandowski's ideal destination. Bayern's £40m plus price tag could prove beyond the Spanish side, which may allow the Red Devils to steal a march.
Chelsea are also keen on the 33-year-old but the Manchester outfit are desperately seeking someone to play in attack to ease the burden on Cristiano Ronaldo. They will have to tempt the Pole without the lure of Champions League football, which may prove challenging.
Lewandowski doesn't appear to have a future in Munich after going public with his frustrations. He said: "Am I optimistic about signing for Barca? It's a big question. I don't like being in this situation. What is certain at the moment is that my career at Bayern is over.
"I don't see any chance of continuing my career at this club. Let's see what we can do in the next two weeks, I don't want to continue at the club and I would like to focus on Poland. After the Nations League, we will have time to talk about the situation, but I don't see any possibility to stay at Bayern."
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Lewandowski reportedly clashed with his boss, Julian Nagelsmann, after he offered advice on his movement with the Pole reminding him that it was he who had scored 40 times last term.
There doesn't seem to be any obvious exit route for him however. If Lewandowski doesn't want to join a United side in transition then his options are limited. Chelsea need to offload record-signing Romelu Lukaku with an Inter Milan return on his radar, but they don't appear to have the finances to pursue the deal.
Barcelona are in a similar problem with LaLiga president Javier Tebas telling Mundo Deportivo: “Barça, today, cannot sign him. Barcelona know what they have to do. He (Barcelona president Joan Laporta) knows perfectly our rules of economic control and his financial situation. The rules are to avoid major economic problems in the entities. I do not know if he will sell De Jong, Pedri or Pepito Pérez. He knows what he has to do, sell assets and earn more.”
