Chelsea are ready to join the race for Robert Lewandowski

Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain will throw their hats into the ring to sign Robert Lewandowski if his desired move to Barcelona fails to materialise, according to reports in Germany.

Lewandowski, 33, is desperate to leave Bayern Munich this summer after eight years at the club and reports suggest his preferred next destination is Barcelona.

Barca president Joan Laporta recently confirmed they have submitted a bid to sign the Poland striker. ‘We have made an offer that they [Bayern] will be evaluating and we are waiting for the answer,’ he said.

Nevertheless, should Lewandowski’s switch to the Nou Camp hit a stumbling block, Sport Bild’s Christian Falk claims Chelsea and PSG will then enter the race to sign him.

Lewandowski’s preference remains Barcelona, who have already made an offer for the striker

And it is believed the player’s preference after a move to Barcelona would be to join the Blues, who are on the hunt for a new centre-forward this summer after allowing Romelu Lukaku to rejoin Inter Milan on loan.

Chelsea will therefore be waiting in the wings for Barca to come up short in their attempt to sign Lewandowski, which may well be a possibility given they are unable to sign any more players until they make further asset sales.

But should the move collapse, it is believed he will then set his sights on a switch to Chelsea

Xavi has already added defender Andreas Christensen and midfielder Franck Kessie, both on free transfers, to his squad in the summer transfer window and is now keen to strengthen in attack.

Barca are set to raise funds by offloading Clement Lenglet to Tottenham, while Manchester United remain in talks over a potential deal for Frenkie de Jong.

Either sale could allow them to wrap up the signing of Lewandowski, who maintained his reputation as one of the best strikers in world football by scoring 50 goals in all competitions last season.

Lewandowski is desperate to leave Bayern this summer after eight years at the Allianz Arena

The veteran striker is due back for training at Bayern on July 12, although he has no intention of returning amid his desire to move on this summer.

Lewandowski’s former agent Maik Barthel recently suggested he will not arrive back for Bayern training ahead of the new season, instead tipping him to go on strike to force through an exit.

Lewandowski has scored 344 goals in 375 games for Bayern, winning eight Bundesliga titles, three DFB-Pokals and the Champions League.