Chelsea have been interested in Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski for quite a while but the striker prefers a summer move to Spain, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Bundesliga top scorer will soon enter the final year of his contract at Bayern, and he has reportedly decided to leave the club this summer.
Bayern are reportedly reluctant to let go of one of their best player and primary goalscorer, but they are also under pressure to sell to avoid losing Lewandowski on a free transfer next year.
Romano claims that Chelsea are one of the clubs that have a long-term interest in the Poland international.
“Chelsea wanted him one year ago before jumping at [the opportunity to sign] Romelu Lukaku,” the Italian transfer expert said on his YouTube channel.
“Lewandowski and [Erling] Haaland were both on Chelsea’s list.
“But also the relationship between his agent, Pini Zahavi, and Chelsea has always been very good.”
Barcelona reportedly ahead of Chelsea in race for Lewandowski
However, Romano added that Lewandowski currently prioritises a potential move to Barcelona, who have also had several meetings with his agent, over the other options.
It is not exactly a done deal, however, since Barcelona will still have to reach an agreement with Bayern first.
Romano also claims that Barcelona are unlikely in a position to secure the deal swiftly.
“They [Barcelona] need to sell players, this is something important to say,” he explained.
“Let’s see if they will sell ‘normal’ players, or they will need to sell important players. This is still in the air, but for Barcelona it’s important to make room for top players like Lewandowski.”
Considering Lewandowski’s record of 35 goals in Bundesliga, and 54 in all competitions for both his club and country, this season, he is clearly still an elite striker despite being 33 years old.
The problem for Chelsea, however, is that they will likely have to focus on securing defensive signings to replace the likes of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen before shifting their attention to the striker department.
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