Chelsea will have another opportunity to sign Dries Mertens in the next window after failing to land the Napoli star in the winter market.
The striker’s contract runs until the end of the season, and the Serie A side are keen on retaining him for next season.
On May 7th, we covered claims from Calciomercato that the Belgium international has three demands to sign an extension with his current employer.
He wants a salary of €4m net per season, a signing bonus and the fine imposed on him for last November’s internal mutiny to be cancelled.
These demands are once again relayed by Area Napoli and they further explain Aurelio De Laurentiis has received these requests and ‘showed great openness’.
The Napoli chief wants both parties to find an agreement halfway as he doesn’t want to accept the 33-year-old’s demands without negotiating.
Mertens, on the other hand, is taking time because he is ‘tempted by Chelsea’ and Blues manager Frank Lampard is pressing for his signing.
The report adds the player ‘knows how to evaluate the possibility, but waits for a further relaunch of Napoli’.
Should the Italian club decide against meeting his demands, it could give an opportunity for Chelsea to land the attacker.
