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For a while now, the rumour mill has been agog about a potential move by European champions Real Madrid for Bayern Munich's ace marksman: Robert Lewandowski.
The gangly Polish international is one of the best strikers in the world and has delivered 25+ goals every season since the 2011-2012 season (his second at Borussia Dortmund).
The 29-year-old is in the prime of his career but may feel that the allure and attraction of the Santiago Bernabeu coupled with the club's insatiable appetite for winning trophies present him a better chance of winning the one trophy missing from his cabinet: the UEFA Champions League.
The Bayern Munich board are known for being one of the most astute in the business and it is almost certain that plans have already been drawn up for potential replacements.
FC Hollywood (as Bayern are known) will probably have to break their transfer record (the €41.5 million paid to Olympique Lyon for French midfielder Corentin Tolisso) to be able to get the desired quality.
Here are 5 classy & potentially world class strikers that chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge & sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic should take a look at:
#5 Willian Jose (Real Sociedad & Brazil)
Not the flashiest and most well known of names, purchasing the 26-year-old who is set to win his first cap in tonight's high-class friendly against Germany will represent a piece of shrewd business.
A traditional number 9 in the true sense of the phrase, his style of play is direct and uncompromising. The La Real forward is strong in the air and provides a scary threat in the opposition’s box on set pieces as his heading ability will remind older Bayern fans of a certain other Brazilian who wore the red shirt with distinction: Giovanni Elber.
While he does not possess the all-round abilities of Lewandowski (how many strikers do?), Willian more than makes up for this by his ability to hold up the ball, run the channels and be in the right place at the right time.
In his second full season in La Liga, he has plundered 18 goals and 2 assists in all competitions for a floundering Sociedad side and would be an adequate replacement for the giant Pole.
#4 Breel Embolo (Schalke 04 & Switzerland)
As the top dogs of the Bundesliga, Bayern has in the recent past taken star players from local rivals and none with the exception of Borussia Dortmund have given up as many quality players to the Bavarians as Schalke 04.
The Royal Blues have lost Manuel Neuer and recently, Leon Goretzka (who will join Bayern on a free next season) and the Swiss youngster could be the next to go.
Pacy, tall and direct with an eye for goal and an ability to bring midfielders into play with his excellent ball holding skills, Embolo could be a superb long-term replacement for Lewandowski.
He has not hit the heights expected since he moved to the Bundesliga but this can be excused given the nasty injury which made him miss a huge chunk of last season's games as well as the on-field issues at the club.
It is not known how much he would cost but given his age, potential growth and the fact that Schalke paid FC Basel €20m for his services, it is almost sure that he may replace Tolisso as the club's most expensive signing.
#3 Kasper Dolberg (Ajax AFC & Denmark)
The baby-faced assassin really came to the attention of the footballing world in the 2016-2017 season as his 6 goals helped propel Ajax all the way to the final in last season’s Europa League, only to be beaten by Manchester United.
Following his breakout last year, he has failed to hit the same heights this season which is to be expected given his very tender age and developing abilities
A striker cut from the same cloth as Lewandowski, he is not the quickest player in the world, but his lack of pace is more than made up for by his sense of positioning, predatory finishing, ability to assist others and a good sense of responsibility.
His age and ceiling for improvement mean that he will fit in with Bayern Munich’s recent policy of buying young, exciting stars for a squad that is already in need of regeneration.
#2 Andrea Belotti (A.C Torino & Italy)
The most experienced player on the list, Bayern will be getting a striker who may be able to deliver now and for the long term if he signs.
Nicknamed Il Gallo (The Rooster) due to his antics whenever he scores, Belotti is seen as the present & future of the Italian national team; Gli Azzurri (The Blues), an idea that will be fanned into a blazing fire if he signs for the Bavarians.
A prolific goalscorer, he is capable of scoring with both feet and is also very fast. He is also renowned for his hard work off the ball and possesses a natural poacher’s instinct for knowing where the goal is.
He was the centre of attention in the summer transfer window as serious inquiries were reportedly made by Manchester United, Chelsea, AC Milan and the likes, but nothing concrete came from them.
A move for Belotti would definitely cost Bayern huge (it is said that any potential suitor may have to pay his buyout fee €100m to secure his services).
What the team will get in return is a goalscoring machine who is now fully recovered after the injuries which have reduced his output this season to just 9 goals in 25 appearances for IL Toro (The Bull) as Torino are known.
Unlike other players like Embolo & Dolberg, he represents what could be called a calculated risk and could wear the No. 9 shirt with distinction for the next decade if Bayern decides to bite the bullet and seek his signature.
#1 Timo Werner (RasenBallsport Leipzig & Germany)
If Lewandowksi is truly serious about leaving for sunny Madrid and if the Bayern board can come to an agreement with Real supremo Florentino Perez, it is almost expected that the Leipzig forward will be the prime target.
The 21-year-old German international has quickly established himself as a deadly striker with 21 goals in RB Leipzig’s debut Bundesliga season, which helped them secure Champions League football at their very first attempt.
His strengths include predatory finishing, searing pace, quick thinking and a superb ability to hold up the ball and bringing others into play.
Timo’s performances in an amazing season for Die Roten Bullen as Leipzig led to an overwhelming chorus for a call-up to Die Mannschaft where, as the arrowhead of a group of young and not-fully-established players, the team rose above all expectations and won the Confederations Cup in Russia in 2017.
The 21-year-old was front and centre at the tourney, scoring three and assisting two goals; he won the tournament’s Golden Boot. A shy, unassuming presence off the pitch, he is the favourite to step into the Miroslav Klose-shaped hole that the national team has been struggling to fill.
Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge & sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic should expect to be engaged in tough negotiations with Leipzig's sporting director, Ralf Ragnick, and any bid for a player, who has already scored 19 goals and made 5 assists this season would certainly be a Bayern Munich & Bundesliga record as certain other suitors have reportedly told he would cost £87m.
