Chelsea plot fresh offer for forward in bid to secure late January transfer

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According to the Telegraph (subscription required), Chelsea are set to make a late bid to sign Napoli star Dries Mertens before the January transfer window’s deadline, tomorrow night.

The Telegraph claim that the Blues’ initial proposal for the Belgian forward was rejected, with the Italian giants unwilling to part with their star before the transfer deadline.

Napoli’s stance on Mertens could be seen as quite surprising, with the Telegraph reporting that the 32-year-old’s current contract expires at the end of the season.

The next 48 hours is the Naples outfit’s last chance to cash in on one of their prized assets.

With the report claiming that Chelsea are still willing to test Napoli’s resilience with a late bid, do you think there’s a good chance of a deal being made before the clock strikes 11pm tomorrow night?

Mertens has proven himself as one of Europe’s top forwards over the last few years.

The Blues seem to be keen on bolstering their centre-forward options before the transfer window closes.

Target-man Olivier Giroud has been heavily linked with an exit, but the Frenchman’s departure rests on Chelsea bringing in another forward.

A player of Mertens’ calibre would certainly provide Frank Lampard with some higher-quality competition – no disrespect to Giroud and Michy Batshuayi – for Tammy Abraham.

Mertens has nine goals and four assists from 22 appearances across Serie A and the Champions League this season. The tricky forward has cemented himself as one of Napoli’s most prolific forwards ever in recent years.

At 32 years old, he obviously seems a short-term fix to Chelsea’s lack of a consistently quality backup up top, but he’s got plenty of tools in his locker that could be passed on to Abraham.

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