Barcelona will reportedly meet with Bayern Munich this week with a view to coming to an agreement over a transfer fee for Robert Lewandowski.
The Poland international has made it clear that he wants to leave Allianz Arena during this summer's transfer window, and Barcelona are firmly at the head of the queue for his signature despite interest from the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Manchester United.
According to Sport, the Catalan giants are growing increasingly confident that they will be able to convince Bayern to let him leave this summer, 12 months before the end of his contract.
The report claims that the Bundesliga champions rejected an opening offer of €32m (£27.5m) plus €5m (£4.3m) in add-ons for the 33-year-old.
Bayern are allegedly now prepared to enter into negotiations with Barcelona, having agreed a deal to sign Senegal international Sadio Mane from Liverpool.
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The German giants are said to want €50m (£43m) for the centre-forward, but Xavi's side are likely to offer €40m (£34.4m) plus up to €8m (£6.9m)-€10m (£8.6m) in add-ons for the Poland international.
Barcelona have allegedly already agreed personal terms with Lewandowski, with the La Liga club's president Joan Laporta using his strong relationship with the striker's agent Pini Zahavi to agree a deal.
The striker scored 50 goals and registered seven assists in 46 appearances in all competitions for Bayern during the 2021-22 campaign, but his relationship with the club has now broken down.
"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.
Barcelona have ongoing financial problems, but the expected sale of Frenkie de Jong to Man United would open the door for the club to complete a deal for Lewandowski.
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Lewandowski has scored 344 goals and registered 72 assists in 374 appearances for the Bundesliga champions in all competitions since arriving from Borussia Dortmund in 2014.
"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.
However, Bayern securing a deal for Mane has allegedly made the club open to holding negotiations with Barcelona to discuss a switch for Lewandowski.
Chelsea are believed to want him as a replacement for Romelu Lukaku, but Lewandowski's former agent has claimed that the striker is fearful of making the move to the Premier League.
Matt Law
