Chelsea target Dries Mertens ‘is reluctant to leave Napoli’ as he is club’s joint top scorer
Dries Mertens is increasingly likely to remain at Napoli this summer, despite Chelsea vying for his signature.
The 32-year-old striker will be a free agent in June but is unlikely to leave the club as he is on the verge of breaking Marek Hamsik’s all-time record as Napoli top scorer, according to HLN.
He has spent seven seasons in Italy since arriving in an £8million move from PSV Eindhoven and has played 309 matches, scoring 121 times – making him the club’s joint-highest marksman with Hamsik.
Dries Mertens is set to become a free agent in the summer when his Napoli contract expires
Mertens is one goal away from breaking Marek Hamsik’s all-time record as Napoli top scorer
To stay at Stadio San Paolo, Mertens wants €7.5million (£6.3m) per year for two seasons, plus another €1m (£845,000) in performance-related bonuses, according to La Gazzetta Dello Sport.
Mertens was heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge in January but a £6million bid was rejected.
Frank Lampard had hoped Mertens would reinforce his forward line as he looks to add depth to his attacking options.
Frank Lampard hoped Mertens could reinforce his forward line and add depth to his attack
Chelsea have secured the signing of Hakim Ziyech from Ajax for £38m – he joins on July 1
Mertens has playmaking attributes that have developed with age – while he still has some years left in the tank at 32.
He is comfortable operating across the front three or as a false nine, and wherever he lines up, he knows the route to goal having scored 12 and registered six assists in 29 games across all competitions this season.
Chelsea have already secured the signing of Hakim Ziyech from Ajax for £38m with the midfielder set to join the squad on July 1.
