Chelsea Reportedly Target Dries Mertens Amid Maurizio Sarri Rumours

Chelsea are reportedly closing in on the appointment of Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri to take over from manager Antonio Conte, and the new man is said to want to bring Dries Mertens with him from the San Paolo. 

According to Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph the Blues are close to securing Sarri as their new boss after months of speculation surrounding Conte's future. Sarri is already said to be considering new acquisitions.

Mertens is reportedly viewed by the Italian as an ideal player to line up on the right of a front three despite having played centrally during his time at Napoli.

"Conte put Mertens forward as a transfer target in each of the last two summers, only for Chelsea to deem the 31-year-old too old and too expensive," noted Law. "That view is unlikely to have changed, particularly with Mertens' £24.5 million Napoli release clause expiring last week."

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Sarri is said to have told those close to him that he wants to secure the Belgium international, though. Jean Michael Seri, the Nice playmaker, is also a target for the Blues this summer.

Mertens offered a reminder of what he is capable of at the FIFA World Cup on Monday, netting a stunning volley for his country in their 3-0 win over Panama. As noted by OptaPaolo, the forward is something of a lucky charm for the Red Devils:

He's also developed into one of the best attacking players in Serie A in recent years, thanks in large part due to the influence of Sarri.

At the start of the 2016-17 season after a summer when Napoli sold key goalscorer Gonzalo Higuain, the centre-forward they acquired, Arkadiusz Milik, suffered a long-term injury. It meant a change in role for Mertens, who operated as a false nine.

Since then he's thrived, with Lorenzo Insigne and Jose Callejon lining up either side of the former PSV Eindhoven man. Mertens' ability to find space, run in behind and finish chances has made him a threat; since being moved centrally, he's scored 46 goals in two Serie A seasons.

After his stunner of a strike for Belgium, football blogger Xav Salazar was full of praise for the Napoli man:

His potential arrival at Chelsea would be intriguing. With Olivier Giroud and Alvaro Morata already at Stamford Bridge the Blues have two strikers on their books already, while Eden Hazard, Willian and Pedro are used in wide positions. Mertens, having shone as a false nine for a while now, would surely prefer to play in that role.

Given his release clause has now expired, Napoli would likely demand a significant fee before moving on one of the key performers. At 31, some may argue that type of capital could be better invested elsewhere by the Blues.