Robert Lewandowski has his heart set on a move to Barcelona, despite interest from Chelsea, according to reports.
The 33-year-old’s future has become headline news after suggestions he is set to leave Bayern Munich this summer. Lewandowski’s contract at the Allianz Arena is due to run until June 2023, but he has confirmed he has no intention of extending that and would like to leave if an appropriate bid is forthcoming.
“I can confirm that I spoke to Hasan (Salihamidzic) and informed him that the decision was made and that I am not extending my contract with Bayern,” Lewandowski said following Bayern’s final game of the season. “Both sides have to think about the future. It’s best if we find the best solution for both sides.
“I said to Salihamidzic that if an offer comes, then we have to think about it — also for the club. Both sides have to think about the future. That’s all I can say.” Bayern Sporting Director Salihamidzic had previously outlined the player’s stance but was adamant he will see out his contract.
“I spoke with Lewa. In that discussion he informed me that he does not want to accept our offer to extend the contract and that we would like to leave the club,” Salihamidzic told Sky Germany. “He said he wants to do something else. But our position has not changed. The fact is he has a contract to June 30, 2023.”
The Guardian report that Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is interested in signing him, despite spending £97.5million on Romelu Lukaku last summer. The record-breaking arrival has struggled to have the kind of influence Chelsea chiefs had hoped and could yet leave the club after just one season.
That would open the door for a move for Lewandowski, although any bid would only come after the deal to buy the club from Roman Abramovich is completed. The Premier League giants are currently operating under a special licence after the Russian billionaire had his assets frozen by the UK government.
It then will be dependent on how much the new owners are willing to spend in their first months in charge and how Tuchel will look to allocate those funds. The main focus for Chelsea looks sure to be on defensive reinforcements with Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen both set to leave on free transfers.
As for Lewandowski, Barcelona are said to be his preferred option, although there are question marks over how the LaLiga club will be able to afford the Poland international, given their financial woes in recent terms.
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Lewandowski, who has scored 343 goals for Bayern since joining in 2014 is said to have reservations about coming to the Premier League, but with few options elsewhere, there is hope from Stamford Bridge bosses that he could be enticed.
Tuchel previously joked that he wanted to sign Lewandowski, along with Erling Haaland and Lukaku, when the latter completed his move last August. "We tried both (to sign Lukaku and Haaland) and wanted to have Lewandowski on the number ten behind,” he said.
“Unfortunately the board didn’t listen so we need to be happy with only Romelu! We missed a lot of opportunities out there on the transfer market that’s why you find me very upset! We don’t know how we should continue!"
