Ahead of what is set to be a very busy summer at Stamford Bridge, Frank Lampard has reportedly begun personal talks with Dries Mertens in a bid to convince the Belgian winger to join him in west London next season.
Frank Lampard has certainly impressed in his first season as Chelsea manager. With expectations set to be higher next season, he will be expected to make major additions to his squad in preparation for the 2020/21 season.
As always, a host of players have been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge.
One name that has popped up consistently has been Mertens and latest reports suggest that Chelsea’s interest in Mertens might just be concrete.
Gianluca Di Marzio, an Italian journalist, has reported that Lampard has personally held talks with Mertens as he seeks to lure him to Stamford Bridge.
With only six months left on his current deal, he could be available on a free this summer so a move makes perfect sense financially speaking.
Mertens primarily operates as a centre-forward but he could also be deployed as a winger on either side. He was a key member of the Napoli team that came within touching distance of winning the Scudetto in 2018.
He’s currently joint top with Marek Hamsik on the list of Napoli’s all-time leading goalscorers.
At 32 years old age, he is certainly not going to be a long-term fix to Chelsea’s attacking problems but he could offer a temporary solution and free up funds to be invested in other important areas.
His experience would also come in handy for Calum Hudson-Odoi and Christian Pulisic; two youngsters still finding their feet in west London.
It will be interesting to see if Chelsea will have to break their transfer policy on players above 30 years old to sign him.
However, some players are worth breaking protocols for and Mertens is certainly of them.
