Barcelona sets budget cap on main transfer target

It's no big secret that FC Barcelona are neck deep in financial troubles. Likewise, it is also common knowledge that they have placed a target on Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski. The Catalans want to make the Polish star their marquee signing this summer, but they have set a limit to what they are willing to spend.

The fact of the matter is, Barcelona don't have much wiggle room when it comes to finances. As it stands, they will need to sell a number of valuable players in order to even think about making a reasonable offer to Bayern Munich.

Lewandowski still has a year left in his contract, and so far, the club president and CEO have maintained that they intend to keep the player until the end of coming season. However, the player has expressed his desire to leave, claiming that he may have already played his final game for the Bundesliga champions.

With the prolific striker showing no desire to sign a contract extension, Bayern will risk losing him on a free transfer next summer. As such, Football España claims that Barcelona are hoping to tempt them with a 60 million euro offer. This way, the German giants will still be able to get a fee out of the move instead of letting Lewandowski leave for free.

The 34-year-old Polish striker has reportedly spoken with manager Xavi Hernandez, and it is understood that he is not entertaining offers from other clubs at the moment. Meanwhile, Bayern manager Julian Nagelsmann has expressed no desire to force the player to stay if he is not fully committed to the club. This may be the factor that finally pushes Bayern to budge.

In any case, Barcelona needs to act quickly. The €60m fee is not astronomical for a player of Lewandowski's calibre, but even that would be a struggle for the Blaugrana including the player's wages and other bonuses and add-ons.

On top of that, Xavi is also seeking a shopping spree in London. He has his eyes on a number of Chelsea FC players, meaning more than a handful of existing Barcelona players need to be moved on. The likes of Memphis Depay, Sergino Dest and Oscar Mingueza are on the chopping block along with a few others.