Chelsea are to step up their transfer interest in Napoli striker Dries Mertens, with Olivier Giroud also set to stay at Stamford Bridge.
Mertens will become a free agent this summer unless Napoli can convince him to sign a new deal, and Frank Lampard's Chelsea are ready to pounce.
The 32-year-old is Napoli's joint all-time top scorer, with 121 goals in 309 appearances for the Serie A side - level with Marek Hamsik, who played 520 games for the Italians.
Lampard is keen to add some experience to his frontline to provide competition and support for rising star Tammy Abraham.
And with Chelsea set to activate the one-year option in Giroud's contract, if Lampard can land Mertens he could have some serious firepower at his disposal.
Chelsea enquired about Belgium international Mertens during the January transfer window, but no deal materialised.
Belgian football expert Kristof Terreur says the failure to do a deal gave Mertens the chance to equal Hamsik's club record, but reckons the striker is still keen on a switch to London.
That record was always in his mind, he wanted to get that record,” Terreur told the Transfer Window Podcast.
“He didn’t want to push for a move either, he wasn’t pushing for it, so he wasn’t actively searching.
“It was an interesting phone call from Chelsea. I think they wanted him because he could play in four positions.
“He could play as a striker, as a false nine, he can play on the left, he can play on the right, he can play as a No 10.
“He’s quite versatile and him and his missus have always liked London so if there was a chance to move to London, they wouldn’t reject that.
“But everything had to be perfect and everyone had to agree to it and in this case there wasn’t even any advanced negotiations so he didn’t push for it in the end.
“Let’s say €8m or €9m they [Chelsea] wanted to spend on him - he can bag that now himself as a signing-on fee, or what Napoli still believe is that they can convince him to sign a new deal.
"But that’s something we will have to see because Napoli are, in my eyes, in the end of a cycle, so you’d have to see if he’s really that keen to sign a new deal.”
Activating the option in Giroud's contract means any club now wanting to sign him will need to agree a fee with Chelsea. Inter Milan retain an interest in the Frenchman, along with a number of clubs in England.
Chelsea have also been linked with an audacious move for Arsenal star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, with the Gunners expected to listen to offers as the forward's contract expires at the end of next season.
