Barcelona are reportedly preparing an official offer for Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski.
The Poland international has made it clear that he wants to leave Allianz Arena during this summer's transfer window, and Barcelona remain the favourites for his signature despite interest from elsewhere.
Manchester United, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain are all said to be keen on the striker, but his preference is to join up with the Catalan giants for the 2022-23 campaign.
According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Barcelona are now preparing a new official bid for Lewandowski and are hopeful of convincing Bayern to let him leave.
The report claims that there is already a verbal agreement on personal terms, with Barcelona president Joan Laporta using his strong relationship with the striker's agent Pini Zahavi to place his team at the head of the queue.
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The 33-year-old scored 50 goals and registered seven assists in 46 appearances in all competitions for Bayern during the 2021-22 campaign.
Meanwhile, he has scored 344 goals and registered 72 assists in 374 appearances for the Bundesliga champions in all competitions, and Bayern have him on a deal until June 2023.
Lewandowski's relationship with the Munich giants has broken down, though, and he made it clear during the recent international break that he wants to seek pastures new this summer.
"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," Lewandowski recently told reporters.
The German outfit remain determined to keep hold of the experienced forward, though, and he could be forced to see out the final year of his contract.
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"He has a contract until 2023 and we're very happy that he's here. I think things will get calmer now. We discussed about his public statements and that we should all calm down," Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic recently told journalist Christian Falk.
Barcelona have ongoing financial problems, but they would allegedly be in a position to sign Lewandowski during this summer's transfer window if they made a big-money sale.
Frenkie de Jong's future continues to be called into question, with Man United pushing to bring the Netherlands international to Old Trafford.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ferran Torres will again be part of Barcelona's attack next season, but Ousmane Dembele could leave on a free transfer, while Martin Braithwaite and Memphis Depay may also depart.
Adama Traore and Luuk de Jong are also expected to return to their parent clubs Wolverhampton Wanderers and Sevilla following loan spells at Camp Nou.
Matt Law
