According to reports in The Times, Chelsea are keen to sign Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski, rated at £81m by Transfermarkt, this summer but their failure to make a decision on Antonio Conte's future is holding any potential deal up, and Newcastle United should be watching developments closely.

What's the word, then?

Robert Lewandowski celebrates goal against Cologne

Well, The Times says that while the Blues are targeting a summer move for Lewandowski, the Poland international – who is currently away with his country at the 2018 World Cup – has expressed reservations about making a move to Stamford Bridge while the west London outfit's managerial situation is unclear.

The Times says that while the club are expected to sack Antonio Conte following a miserable defence of their 2017 Premier League title that saw them miss out on Champions League qualification, they have yet to agree a severance package with the Italian that could cost them over £10m if the 48-year-old fails to take another job in the following 12 months.

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The report adds that Napoli are also demanding compensation for Chelsea's top managerial target Maurizio Sarri, which has held up any potential negotiations over a deal for Lewandowski, who scored 41 goals in 48 appearances in all competitions for Bayern last term.

Why should Newcastle be monitoring developments?

Well, Magpies manager Rafa Benitez will surely have made bringing a new striker to St James' Park this summer a priority with his team netting just 39 goals in their 38 Premier League fixtures during the 2017/18 campaign, with Aleksandar Mitrovic expected to leave and Joselu and Dwight Gayle often failing to fire.

One of his top targets if Chelsea sign Lewandowski could well be Michy Batshuayi, who would surely drop even further down the pecking order if the Polish marksman arrived at Stamford Bridge.

Conte certainly hasn't fancied the Belgian and sent him on loan to Borussia Dortmund in the second-half of last season, where he showed the quality he has with nine goals in 14 appearances for the Bundesliga outfit, taking his tally for the season to 21.

The centre-forward would be a brilliant signing for the Tyneside outfit and the fans, who have been quick to react on Twitter to a possible return to St James' Park for a former attacker, and would help them improve upon their impressive 10th-place finish last time out.

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