Chelsea have reached out to the agent of Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski to discuss a potential transfer this summer.
The Polish hitman has flirted with the idea of leaving the club, admitting to being 'open-minded' about his future, and that has piqued the interest of Chelsea and Manchester City, both of whom are chasing a new striker this summer.
For Chelsea, their primary desire is to sign Erling Haaland, but the Borussia Dortmund man may be unavailable even if the Blues table a £150m offer, and they are therefore on the lookout for other targets.
The Sun revealed earlier this week that a £50m move for Lewandowski could be on the cards, and that has since been taken to the next level by Sport Bild (via Transfermarkt), who state that contact has been made between Chelsea and Lewandowski's agent, Pini Zahavi.
Interestingly, Zahavi is known to be close with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich. The Israeli agent helped broker Abramovich's purchase of the Blues back in 2003 and has worked with the club on numerous different transfers, including for players he doesn't even represent.
Chelsea have not made a formal proposal to Zahavi yet but have been discussing Lewandowski's potential salary, and the numbers put on the table are 'very interesting' to the Pole.
After seven years of global domination with Bayern, Lewandowski is believed to be keen to test himself elsewhere, and given he is about to turn 33 years old, he may only have one more big contract left in him.
There are also slight concerns that Bayern's future may not be as bright as their present. Big players like David Alaba and Thiago left for pennies after refusing to extend their contracts and there are fears that the likes of Kingsley Coman, Niklas Sule and Leon Goretzka could do the same next summer, prompting fears that Champions League glory may be passing Bayern by.
Lewandowski wants assurances from Bayern that they will continue to spend big and dominate in the Champions League, but those promises are yet to come, making Chelsea's status as reigning European champions that little bit more appealing.
The Blues' focus remains on landing Haaland, but the search is on for cheaper alternatives, and links to Lewandowski continue to gain momentum.
Source : 90min