"One of the top 5 strikers in the world" - Lothar Matthaus urges Bayern Munich to sign 'complete player' if Lewandowski joins Barcelona 

Former Bayern Munich star Lothar Matthaus has urged the Bundesliga champions to sign Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane if Robert Lewandowski indeed leaves for Barcelona.

The Polish ace has affirmed that his time in Bavaria is over and is forcing his way out of the club, with the Catalans being the frontrunners in the race for his signature.

Although the latter are yet to officially make a bid, if a transfer does indeed go through, Matthaus believes Kane could be a like-for-like replacement given his penalty box instincts.

In an interview with German news outlet AZ, the 61-year-old said:

"He is one of the top 5 strikers in the world alongside Lewandowski, Haaland, Benzeme and Lukaku, a complete player.

"Kane would be a top reinforcement, big names like him, Mané or de Ligt are good for the Bundesliga."

Kane still has two more years left on his contract with Spurs, and is currently valued at €90 million, which could make the possibility of a move difficult.

Bayern don't usually spend that much and have splurged more than €50 million on a player only twice in history - Leroy Sane (€60 million) and Lucas Hernandez (€80 million).

However, if Lewandowski manages to leave the Bundesliga side this summer, the club will be left with a void upfront and could possibly go all out in Kane's pursuit.

The 28-year-old exhibits similar characteristics to his Polish counterpart and has scored 247 goals for Tottenham in 385 games, while assisting 59 more.

His blistering exploits have yielded three Premier League Golden Boots, although a major trophy has eluded him thus far, finishing as the runners-up on three occasions, including the 2019 Champions League final.

He also lost in the Euro 2020 final with England last year, for whom he's struck 50 goals in 73 caps.

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Barcelona target to resume training with Bayern Munich

Bayern have started their pre-season training and Lewandowski is all set to join the squad tomorrow.

According to journalists Toni Juanmarti and Albert Roge, the Polish international will report to training in Munich on Tuesday.

Although he's insisted that his time at Bayern is over, Lewandowski wants to remain professional and respectful until the move is confirmed.

The Bavarians want at least €70 million for the striker to even enter into negotiations with Barcelona, whose financial shape is woeful right now.

It will be interesting to see how this saga plays out.