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A summer transfer window that has been full of elation and disappointment is drawing closer and closer to its end before the Premier League starts on Friday evening. Some of the biggest stars in world football have been linked with moves, some realistic and some nothing more than fantasy.
What's the rumour?
One big player that has been rumoured to be moving to the English top-flight is Robert Lewandowski, with Chelsea having reportedly been interested in bringing the prolific striker to Stamford Bridge. However, with just three days left of the window, the Blues have received a huge dent to their hopes with Bundesliga expert, Raphael Honigstein saying the deal is off.
The heart of the matter
The Bayern forward was supposedly vying for a move away from Bavaria earlier in the summer but it looks now as though he will be forced into staying in Germany. The 29-year-old's performances at the World Cup were so far below his usual high standards, raising question marks over his quality but his record in the Bundesliga more than speaks for itself.
In case you didn't know
After Alvaro Morata was unable to properly find his feet last season, a deal for Lewandowski sounded perfect for all parties at Chelsea but it wouldn't have come cheap. With turmoil concerning Roman Abramovich's ownership, the finances weren't as readily available this summer despite the £57 million signing of Jorginho, which may have played a part in the failure of the deal.
Rumour Rating: 9/10
A move to Chelsea does not make sense for Lewandowski, for the London club has failed to qualify for the Champions League. Moreover, Bayern cannot find a suitable replacement in time.
What's next?
It hasn't been the most straightforward of pre-seasons at Stamford Bridge after the stand-off with Antonio Conte and the signing of just one player for the first-team, but another big-money spend would have softened the blow. If this transfer window peters out without a quality signing, then it will be seen a very poor summer for the Blues and could see them lose even more ground on the top four.
Wilfried Zaha is still heavily linked but there doesn't seem to be much optimism around West London at the moment, it will be interesting to see how these last few days play out.
