Chelsea and Manchester United could reportedly enter the race to sign Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich this summer.
It hadn't looked like much of a race, with the prolific Pole having held talks about a move to Barcelona - according to Blaugrana manager Xavi.
But with the Catalan giants still hamstrung by financial problems, they may not be able to afford the 33-year-old while staying within LaLiga regulations.
Bayern are said to want at least £40 million for their star man, who has one year left to run on his contract at the Allianz Arena.
According to the Star, Barca's apparent inability to complete a deal for Lewandowksi has alerted Chelsea and United.
The Poland captain seems dead set on leaving Bayern in any case; addressing the Barca links before his country's recent Nations League win over Wales, he said:
"Am I optimistic about signing for Barca? It's a big question. I don't like being in this situation. What is certain at the moment is that my career at Bayern is over.
"I don't see any chance of continuing my career at this club ... I don't want to continue at the club..."
Well, he couldn't have made his desires much clearer, could he?
Where he will be playing his football next seasons remains unclear, though.
Chelsea would surely have to offload £97.5-million flop Romelu Lukaku to even think about making a move for Lewandowski - while United's lack of Champions League football hardly makes Old Trafford the most attractive destination.
Besides, with the Guardian reporting that Bayern have insisted Lewandowski sees out the remainder of his contract in Bavaria, he may not even be granted his exit wish.
However it ends, this looks set to be the big soap opera of the summer transfer window...
