Sources: Chelsea may up bid for Napoli’s Mertens as Giroud exit stalls

Chelsea, Clubs, Dries Mertens, Napoli, Story
Following Chelsea’s 2-1 win vs. Hull City, Steve Nicol breaks down their issues in the attacking third.

Chelsea are still trying to convince Napoli to let Dries Mertens join Stamford Bridge before the end of the transfer window on Friday, sources have told ESPN.

Transfer Grades: All the big moves rated
When does the transfer window close?
All major completed transfer deals

The Belgian striker wants to sign for the Blues but the discussions between the two clubs are moving slowly, sources added.

Mertens, 32, is out of contract in the summer and Chelsea have offered €7 million to recruit him now. Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis rejected the bid and is proving quite difficult to deal with. Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia is leading the pursuit for Mertens and is considering making a better offer of €10m on Friday to secure the signing.

Chelsea have been desperate to recruit a striker this month but have failed so far. The future of Olivier Giroud will also depend of the arrival of Mertens. The London club was ready to let the Frenchman leave as he is not part of Frank Lampard’s plans. But the club is now refusing to allow Giroud to leave unless a replacement is signed.

Giroud has agreed to personal terms with three teams — Inter Milan, Tottenham and Lazio — and all of them have a deal in place with Chelsea for a loan and an option to buy in the summer.

Yet, the French striker remains at Chelsea as he tries to secure more playing time in the second half of the season, or risk being left out Les Bleus squad for Euro 2020.

Products You May Like

Articles You May Like

Mbappé still targeting Olympics amid Madrid talks
Flamengo striker ‘Gabigol’ gets 2 year doping ban
City injury blow as Walker forced off for England
Austria score after six seconds in friendly win
USWNT to play Mexico in pre-Olympics tune-up

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *