According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Chelsea aren’t giving up on their pursuit of Napoli talisman Dries Mertens, with Frank Lampard reported to have had talks with the Belgian forward.
Di Marzio report that there have been ‘direct contacts’ between Lampard and Mertens, perhaps the Blues legend is doing his best to convince the forward to move to west London.
The Sun reported earlier this month that Chelsea were set to launch an offer to sign Mertens on a free transfer, the 32-year-old’s contract is set to expire this summer.
Di Marzio claim that Mertens’ talks with Napoli over a new deal are on standby, this could open up the chance for Chelsea to swoop in and secure the ace’s signature.
Mertens has been sensational for Napoli over the last few years, the star has established himself as one of the world’s best attackers during his time in Naples.
As per Transfermarkt, the Belgium international has bagged 218 goals and 164 assists during his career. Chelsea would certainly benefit from having a player of this calibre at Stamford Bridge.
Lampard needs to bolster his attacking options with Olivier Giroud and Michy Batshuayi struggling as backups to Tammy Abraham this season.
It’s fair to say that a player of Mertens’ calibre would be expected to start and Lampard could even switch to a formation with two strikers or one that could see Mertens playing just behind Abraham.