Chelsea have been trying to bring in a new centre-forward for some time now and it seems like Napoli’s Dries Mertens is going to be that man – as per rumours.
Frank Lampard wanted to bring in a new striker in January and Mertens was one of the players he was after. But eventually, the Blues boss failed to sign any new player meaning he has been stuck with the likes of Giroud and Michy Batshuayi.
But this summer the manager is eager to rectify this mistake and right now signing a new centre-forward remains high on his transfer wishlist.
Dries Mertens’s current deal with Napoli expires in the summer and as things stand, he is not getting a new deal at the club meaning he will be a free agent.
And as per the rumours, it’s Chelsea who are leading the race to sign the 32-year-old at the end of the season despite interest from the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal.
Dries Mertens to Chelsea: Will it happen?
Chelsea are set to lose Olivier Giroud on a free transfer in the summer while the manager is also expected to part ways with Michy Batshuayi meaning Tammy Abraham will be the only top quality striker left in the squad.
And this is the perfect situation for Dries Mertens to come in and secure a regular starting place in Chelsea’s first XI.
The 32-year-old currently earns €150,000 per week at Napoli and he surely wouldn’t wanna take a pay cut at his new club. But apart from this, the forward will also be looking to get constant playing time next season.
And in both these scenario’s Chelsea are automatically the first choice for Dries Mertens in case he is really thinking about moving to the Premier League during the summer.
Both Arsenal and Manchester United have a number of strikers amongst their ranks right now meaning Mertens will have to fight for his position if he was to join either of these two clubs.
So while Chelsea are undoubtedly higher up the list, but Inter Milan are also said to be interested in the player and there’s a very good chance that the Belgium international chooses to choose to join Conte’s side in a bid to remain in Italy.
UPDATE(20th April 2020):
It seems Chelsea have suffered a massive setback in the signing of Dries Mertens since the player looks all set to stay in Italy next season.
Inter Milan had just recently joined the transfer race but Conte’s men seem to have leap-frogged over everyone else and as per reports in Italy, Inter are on the verge of signing Mertens on a free transfer.
Napoli are not expected to offer the 32-year-old a new deal at the club and now Dries Mertens is about to agree on a two-year contract with an option for a third with the Nerazzurri.
This deal is set to be worth €6 million net per year and this is like a dagger to the heart for Lampard since the Blues boss really wanted to bring someone as experienced as Mertens into his squad.
