Chelsea want to bring in a new centre-forward this summer and they are reportedly looking at Dries Mertens who is set to be a free agent at the end of the 2019-20 season.
Napoli might not be offering the Belgian international a new at the club meaning he will be allowed to leave for free at the end of this season which is one of the main reasons why the Blues are so eager to sign him up.
Chelsea aren’t the only club interested in signing him with reports suggesting that Inter Milan have also joined the race. But as per the latest updates, the Blues have recently stepped up their interest to land the player due to his ability to play in various forward positions on the pitch.
Belgian football expert Kristof Terreur told The Transfer Window Podcast, via Sports Mole: “It was an interesting phone call from Chelsea. I think they wanted him because he could play in four positions.
“He could play as a striker, as a false nine, he can play on the left, he can play on the right, he can play as a No 10. He’s quite versatile and him and his missus have always liked London so if there was a chance to move to London, they wouldn’t reject that.
“But everything had to be perfect and everyone had to agree to it and in this case there wasn’t even any advanced negotiations so he didn’t push for it in the end.
“Let’s say €8m or €9m Chelsea wanted to spend on him – he can bag that now himself as a signing-on fee, or what Napoli still believe is that they can convince him to sign a new deal.”
Should Chelsea sign 32 Y/O Dries Mertens?
Chelsea are expected to sell off Michy Batshuayi in the summer and Oliver Giroud could also be on his way out – despite the Blues triggering the one-year extension on his deal. And in such a scenario, Dries Mertens will be the perfect player to bring in as a partner to Tammy Abraham upfront.
But as things stand, we have one slight issue.
Yes, Mertens is a top goal-scorer but the player is 32 years old and possibly has only a handful of good seasons left in him. And given that he will demand an astronomical salary in order to sign for the Blues, we don’t think the manager should take this gamble of bringing in such an aged player.
Also, this season, Lampard has relied heavily on a lot of young talent which is refreshing to see from a side like Chelsea. But if he was to bring in someone like Mertens then it could very well impact the careers of players like Abraham and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
So all in all, while Dries Mertens will bring in a lot of positives but the Belgium international can in no ways be the long-term solution to Chelsea’s attacking problems.
