Chelsea fall behind in the race to sign Dries Mertens

According to Italian publication Calciomercato (h/t Daily Mail), Italian giants Inter Milan have moved to the head of the queue to sign Napoli attacker Dries Mertens.

The versatile Belgian is a seasoned professional who has played in over 500 first-team matches across four countries. Despite being 32, he remains a potent force and will bring both quality and experience to our side.

The winger is out of contract in the summer and will be available for free once the season ends. This will bring the player’s association with Napoli to an end.

Mertens joined Napoli in 2013 and has turned into a crucial player for the Italians. He has played 311 times for the ‘Gli Azzurri’ and has scored 121 goals and 73 assists.

According to the report, Inter Milan, now managed by former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte, are keen on Mertens. The Nerazzurri have tabled a contract worth £85,000-a-week contract to the 32-year-old.

Napoli have had a troubled season with issues both on and off the pitch. The Italians are currently sixth in the standings, nine points off the final Champions League spot.

Mertens is the club’s top scorer and has scored 12 goals and six assists in 29 appearances so far. Mertens is a versatile attacker and can play anywhere along the frontline. The Belgian’s set-piece abilities would also be an added benefit for us.

Apart from Inter, we also face competition from domestic rivals Manchester United and Arsenal.

We came close to securing the player in January only for the deal to fall through. This forced striker Oliver Giroud to stay put at Stamford Bridge. In spite of a number of youngsters impressing under Frank Lampard, their lack of experience has shown at times.

Incorporating players such as Mertens would have helped offset the lack of experience while still giving the youngsters enough game time. That ship now looks to have passed.

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The Belgian was a part of the Napoli squad that won the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italia in 2014. The 32-year-old has scored 18 times in 90 games for the Belgian national squad. He also won the Belgian player of the year in 2016.