Robert Lewandowski accused of being afraid to join Chelsea by his former agent

Robert Lewandowski is not fully confident he is capable of thriving in the Premier League amid speculation he has rejected a move to Chelsea, according to his former agent.

The prolific Poland international is determined to leave Bayern Munich this summer and is set for an acrimonious departure following a bitter war of words with club chiefs and his manager, Julian Nagelsmann.

Chelsea are keen to sign the 33-year-old who has less than a year remaining on his current contract and has no intention of signing a new deal.

Thomas Tuchel is said to be able to count on the backing of Chelsea’s new owners having deemed club-record signing Romelu Lukaku surplus to requirements.

Much was expected of Lukaku upon his return to Stamford Bridge following a goal-laden two-year spell in Serie A with Inter.

The Belgium internatonal has struggled to adapt to the rigours of the Premier League and Tuchel’s tactical demands. The relationship between player and manager appears to be beyond repair and talks with Inter over a loan are already underway.

Tuchel is said to have earmarked Lewandowski as the ideal replacement but the former Borussia Dortmund star is said to have his heart set on a move to cash-strapped Barcelona.

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A move to Chelsea, however could be hampered by Lewandowski’s reluctance to play in England according to his former agent, Cezary Kucharski.

‘I always heard Robert give a childish explanation that it rains so much in England,’ Kucharski told Sport 1.

‘But I think the real reason was that he didn’t think he