Chelsea line up move for Eden Hazard’s £25m compatriot – report

Maurizio Sarri is looking to bring in Dries Mertens from Napoli and will try to convince the Chelsea board to finance a deal for the 31-year-old, according to the Daily Star.

Mertens is with the Belgium national side at the World Cup and even scored an incredible goal against Panama in their opening fixture and Sarri is trying to do something that Antonio Conte has not been able to.

The report claims that Conte had tried to sign Mertens in the last two years but the Chelsea board did not allow the deal as they believed the Napoli star was too old and costly.

Chelsea would have to move fast if they are to sign the Belgian on the cheap as he has a £25m release clause in his contract that will expire next week.

Mertens was one of the best players for Napoli last season as the Serie A side finished second in the league. The 31-year-old scored 22 goals in all competitions and provided 9 assists for the side as well.

Concerns regarding Mertens’ age

While the Belgian is one of the best players in Italy, the doubts that Chelsea have about his age cannot be dismissed. We have seen many experienced players struggle to perform well in the Premier League and some might even recall Andriy Shevchenko struggling a bit during his time at Stamford Bridge.

However, if we are going to spend only £25m to bring Mertens, it might pay off and working under Sarri would also ensure the Belgian star plays at his best.

Mertens probably has a couple of good years left in him but having Eden Hazard on one wing and his Belgian teammate on the other could provide us with one of the most destructive attacks in the Premier League.