Chelsea in talks to sign Mertens

Chelsea have begun talks to sign Dries Mertens from Napoli, according to multiple sources.

The Belgian forward will be out of contract when the season ends and it has been quite clear for some time now that there won’t be a new one signed. Napoli have had a disappointing campaign in the Serie A and Mertens was reportedly one of the players involved in a clash with club president Aurelio De Laurentiis, before Carlo Ancelotti got his marching orders from the dugout to be replaced eventually by Gennaro Gattuso.

Even though they could potentially sign him for free in the summer, Chelsea are keen on acquiring the services of the 32-year-old now as they face the possibility of losing Olivier Giroud at a time when Tammy Abraham, manager Frank Lampard’s first-choice striker, is injured. That, of course, means there would be a transfer fee involved, which Sky Sports believe won’t be less than £5 million.