Chelsea manager Frank Lampard was officially in touch with Napoli forward Dries Mertens to explore a possible transfer to Stamford Bridge ahead of the 2020-21 season.
Mertens will see his current contract with Napoli expire at the end of June, and it is generally speculated that the Belgian player will try new pastures this summer.
The 32-year-old scored 12 times and recorded six assists in 29 appearances for his Italian club this term. In total, the forward netted 121 goals in 311 outings for Gil Azzurri.
According to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Blues Manager Seveso has now made ‘contact’ with Mertens in the hope of winning the Belgian signature race ahead of next season. Manchester United, Roma, Arsenal and Monaco are also among those to be linked to the attacker, but Chelsea is said to have recently stepped up their involvement.
