Manchester City are considering turning their attention to Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski after growing frustrated in their pursuit of Harry Kane.
A bid for Kane worth in excess of £100m was shot down by Tottenham, who are determined to hold on to their talisman and have made it clear they will only humour the idea of letting him go if a team bids over £150m.
City are reluctant to go so high, particularly given Kane's desire to leave Tottenham is well known, but they are still keen to find a new big-name striker to replace the departed Sergio Aguero and are therefore looking at other options.
According to the Daily Mail, the next man in their sights could be Lewandowski, whose future at Bayern has been up in the air for a while now.
Before Euro 2020, there were countless reports suggesting Lewandowski was considering a move away from Bayern after growing a little bored with the monotonous success that comes with playing for the German giants, and he even admitted to being 'open-minded' about his future.
That has sparked a belief that Lewandowski could be available this summer, particularly given he has just two years remaining on his contract and will start to depreciate in value to Bayern from this point onwards.
City are one of several sides who are keeping a close eye on things, with long-term admirers Real Madrid also sniffing about. Suitors of the Pole are looking to see whether Bayern really would humour selling the greatest striker on the planet.
Julian Nagelsmann's arrival hasn't exactly helped the situation. In the past, the former RB Leipzig boss has regularly used a system without a recognised striker, and there are suggestions that he is keen to use such a style at Bayern.
Contact has been made with PSV Eindhoven winger Cody Gakpo, who has been touted as a potential false-nine option for Bayern in case Lewandowski leaves, and all this has City feeling as though a deal for Lewandowski could be feasible.
However, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who was Bayern chairman before being replaced by Oliver Kahn this month, shot down the idea of Lewandowski leaving with one of his final acts at the Allianz Arena, so signing the 32-year-old may be a tough ask.
Source : 90min