Lewandowski responds to Chelsea’s offer, as Blues eye swap deal for Juve defender
Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski has piqued Chelsea’s interest as the club looks to add a quality striker ahead of next season.
In August, Lewandowski will be 34, and the Chelsea manager is said to be interested in the Poland international.
According to Sport, Chelsea made an offer to Lewandowski, but the striker turned down the offer.
Lewandowski’s heart is set on Barcelona rather than a move to Chelsea, according to his former agency.
While the player previously used the English weather as an excuse to prevent a transfer to the Premier League, according to his former agent, Cezary Kucharski, there was a more important reason behind his excuse.
“I always heard Robert give a childish explanation that it rains so much in England,” Kucharski told Sport 1.
“But I think the real reason was that he didn’t think he could be as efficient as in Germany. Robert was really afraid of that.”
However, It’s yet to be seen which striker Chelsea would sign this summer, if the club lets go of Romelu Lukaku.
There is a limited number of top strikers available in the transfer market, and the Chelsea chiefs have a huge work to do this summer.
Chelsea is investigating a swap deal for Juventus defender Merih Demirai, which might send Jorginho the other way.
Jorginho’s current contract, at £117k per week, expires next year, and Thomas Tuchel’s side are looking to trade him this summer to prevent losing him on a free transfer in 2023. Jorginho has long been a fan of Juventus.
Demirai, who has also been linked with a move to Newcastle, spent last season on loan at Atalanta, where he impressed by making 42 appearances in all competitions despite his injury history.
Atalanta had the opportunity to make the move permanent, but the agreed-upon sum of £16 million was too much for them.
And, with little chance of a breakthrough back at Juventus that leaves the Turkish international surplus to requirements and open to a new challenge.
Swap deals, though, are notoriously hard to pull off, with arguments about relative values of the players involved common.