Barcelona face battle with Bayern Munich to sign Robert Lewandowski

ESPN report that Barcelona have already made a first move to sign Robert Lewandowski but they know it will not be easy.

Bayern Munich have publicly stated that they do not want to sell the Polish striker but, after signing Sadio Mané from Liverpool for 41 million euros, sources suggest they could let Lewandowski leave for a similar fee.

Lewandowski, who turns 34 in August, has only one season left on his contract at the Allianz Arena and has made it clear he wants to move on this summer.

Bayern officials have said on several occasions that they want to keep Lewandowski despite the fact that he could leave for free next summer.

“The situation has not changed,” Bayern chief executive Oliver Kahn said at the presentation of Mané.

“Robert has one more year on his contract with us and we expect to see him on the first day of pre-season in July,” he added.

Barcelona know it will not be easy because at the moment the Catalan club could not sign Lewandowski without breaking the salary cap set by La Liga and secondly because relations between the Camp Nou outfit and the German club have been strained since Barça took a stance in favour of the European Super League alongside Real Madrid and Juventus.

The Catalan club are also hoping to sign defender Jules Koundé. Sevilla need to sell and reportedly want around 60 million euros but Barça could have to compete for his signature with Chelsea who already tried unsuccessfully to sign the French international during the last summer transfer window.

GSFN