By james art 
Birmingham City were close to signing Robert Lewandowski for just £250,000.
The Barcelona striker became a target for the Blues while still playing in his native Poland in the early years of his career.
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Lewandowski began his senior career in the country’s third tier with Znic Pruskov.
He finished as top scorer after the club won promotion in 2007, prompting clubs to quickly take notice of him.
Birmingham are among the sides interested in the teenage striker, former scout Paul Montgomery has revealed.
After revealing that Lewandowski was the one player he wanted but missed out on before he became a superstar, Montgomery told the Sunday Edition how Birmingham were able to complete a £250,000 deal.
Montgomery explained: “It’s strange because I remember we needed a centre-forward and I had told Alex (McLeish) and Alex had spoken to me and he had a few contacts in Poland and he said: ‘Look, they really like this guy’ .
“I went and watched him two or three times and said, ‘Look, he’s a good player, no doubt, but he does everything in wide areas.’
“In those days he would spin and do everything in wide areas. He is not the type of central striker we need. And the rest is history.
“He’s turned into this brilliant goalscorer, so I don’t have to tell you.”
Instead, Lewandowski stayed in Poland, joining Lech Poznan for £320,000 before going on to play for Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and now Barca.
He has also scored 585 goals for senior clubs, along with winning two European Golden Boots and a further 20 top goalscorer awards.
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After winning the Champions League with Bayern in 2020, the 36-year-old remains in fine form for Barca four years on.
So far this season, he has already scored 17 goals in 14 appearances for the Spanish giants.
Meanwhile, Montgomery also revealed he missed out on bringing Didier Drogba to England early.
He had scouted the Ivorian for West Ham before the club were relegated in 2003.
The Hammers’ relegation to the second tier saw Drogba stay in France for another year, instead joining Chelsea 12 months later.