Chelsea behind Barcelona and PSG in race to sign forward: Reports
Chelsea have reportedly joined Barcelona and PSG in their pursuit of Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski.
According to journalist Christian Falk, the Blues are aware they are behind in the race to sign Lewandowski. However, they could intensify their efforts to sign the striker as he is seen as a potential replacement for Romelu Lukaku at Stamford Bridge.
As per Sky Sports, the Belgian striker is eager to return to the Nerazzurri after enduring a disappointing 2021-22 campaign. Lukaku joined Chelsea from Inter on the back of two incredible seasons with the Italian giants. He scored 64 goals in 95 games in all competitions for Inter and led them to the 2020-21 Serie A title.
Chelsea signed him for a club-record fee of £97.5 million last summer. The 28-year-old struggled to adapt to Thomas Tuchel's system and scored just 15 goals in 44 appearances in all competitions.
Bayern Munich hitman Robert Lewandowski is viewed as the perfect replacement for Lukaku. The Poland international has scored 344 goals in 375 appearances for the German giants. He has helped them win eight consecutive Bundesligas, three DFB Pokals, and a Champions League.
Lewandowski scored 50 goals in just 46 games last season. The 33-year-old has just one year left on his deal with Bayern and has made clear his desire to leave the club this summer.
Barcelona have been linked with the striker in recent months. The Catalan giants are keen to sign a world-class striker to boost their chances of competing for the La Liga title and Champions League next season.
PSG are also rumored to be interested in the Bayern Munich star. The French giants are believed to be looking for an alternative to the Mbappe-Messi-Neymar axis, which the club were heavily reliant on last season.
Chelsea could switch their focus to Gabriel Jesus if they fail to sign Robert Lewandowski
According to Football.london, Chelsea are interested in signing Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus.
The Brazilian could fall behind new signings Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez in the pecking order at the Etihad Stadium next season. Furthermore, he has just one year remaining on his contract. This could force City to sell him this summer rather than risk losing him on a free transfer next year.
Jesus enjoyed an impressive 2021-22 campaign. He scored eight goals and provided nine assists in 28 games despite being played out of position on the right-wing on multiple occasions.
Jesus was heavily linked with a move to Arsenal. However. the 25-year-old could prefer a move to Chelsea as the Blues can guarantee him Champions League football next season.