Elderly Sydney man bashed with iron bars

An elderly man has been bludgeoned with iron bars and robbed during an early morning attack in Sydney's inner-west.

Two men forced their way through the front door of the 73-year-old's Glebe unit on Tuesday morning.

The man, who was asleep, was attacked with iron bars before the thieves made off with a small amount of cash.

He suffered lacerations to the back of his head and soft tissue damage.

He was taken to hospital, where he received stitches and was expected to be released on Tuesday.

Police say they are still trying to establish a motive, including whether the money stolen was linked to drugs.

"It's probably too early in the investigation to tell but that could be one line of inquiry that we will look at," Superintendent John Watson said.

"We are treating it as a very serious offence.

"No one wants to be woken up and beaten in your own home."