Chelsea have reportedly thrown their hat into the ring to sign Robert Lewandowski – but find themselves behind Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona in the race to sign him.
The Polish striker put Europe's top sides on high alert last month when he publicly declared his career at Bayern Munich was 'over'. He has made it plain he wants out of the German champions which has seen PSG and Barcelona fight for his services in recent weeks.
However, according to German news outlet Bild, Chelsea have now joined the race to land him this summer, with Thomas Tuchel looking to find a suitable replacement for Romelu Lukaku, who looks destined for the Stamford Bridge exit.
The report claims that Chelsea know they have ground to make up on both PSG and Barca if they are to have any hope of signing the 33-year-old striker.
Lukaku has failed to live up to his hefty £97.5million price tag since rejoining the Blues from Inter Milan last summer and is now being linked with a return to Italy.
This has led to Tuchel to look for a frontman that suits his system, and Lewandowski looks to be the ideal fit, given his ridiculous goalscoring record in Germany.
Lewandowski is said to be already in talks with both PSG and Barcelona but reportedly prefers a move to Catalonia, with Mundo Deportivo reporting that the Pole has already signed a three-year contract around £175,000-a-week with Barca, worth £27million in total.
PSG were keen to hijack the move, but Lewandowski's camp is said to have assured the Catalan side his heart is set on a move to the Nou Camp.
But he must wait for cash-strapped Barcelona to offload players before his move can be confirmed.
LaLiga president Javier Tebas insisted the transfer 'cannot' happen due to financial constraints on the club.
Barcelona are set for a key meeting on Thursday to discuss how to offload players from their massive wage bill.
Lewandowski does have a year left on his contract, meaning Bayern can keep him if they wish. They are not keen to let him go but the veteran striker has been extremely outspoken about his wish to leave.
On international duty, Lewandowski said: 'My era at Bayern is over. I don't see any possibility to continue playing for this club anymore.
'Bayern's a serious club and I believe they won't keep me, I don't want to play there anymore. A transfer is the best solution. I hope they don't stop me.'