Chelsea remain keen on Napoli forward Dries Mertens, having courted him in the January transfer window.
Mertens deal at the Italian side is set to expire in the summer and, after looking like he would sign a new contract, the situation has taken a dramatic turn the other way.
Gazzetta Dello Sport explain that Napoli chief Aurelio De Laurentiis believed an agreement on a new deal with the striker was ‘almost concluded’ after negotiations with his agents.
However, after their meeting, the ‘signals’ they expected from the player did not arrive. Instead, several issues, including problems with fines and emergency pay cuts, were added as hurdles to be overcome.
Chelsea are one of them, with the newspaper explaining they are ‘still on the trail’ having courted the 32-year-old in the January transfer window.
The Blues were heavily linked with making a move when it appeared Olivier Giroud would be joining Inter Milan, only to pull out of any possible deal when the Frenchman ended up staying at Stamford Bridge.
He looks set to depart Chelsea on a free in the summer, though, so perhaps Frank Lampard and his team are looking at Mertens as a cheap option to fill the gap left behind.
