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Hello and welcome to Sportskeeda's daily Chelsea transfer news roundup.
There are huge updates today regarding Chelsea's interest in signing Dries Mertens and what that could mean for the future of Olivier Giroud. Meanwhile, Barcelona have also renewed their interest in signing Willian.
Chelsea in talks with Napoli for Mertens
Chelsea are in talks to sign Napoli forward Dries Mertens, as they desperately attempt to sign a striker before the window slams shut tomorrow, but Napoli are reluctant to sell their star man.
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The Blues’ failed attempts of signing a striker have been apparent throughout the window after they missed out on the likes of Lyon’s Moussa Dembele, Paris Saint-Germain’s Edinson Cavani and AC Milan’s Krzysztof Piatek. Frank Lampard is desperate to add a goalscoring threat to his squad, considering how dependent Chelsea are on Tammy Abraham to find the back of the net.
Mertens is out of contract in the summer and would cost Chelsea significantly lesser than any of their other targets. Additionally, his class and experience will complement the youth and exuberance of Lampard’s squad, whilst his versatility to play anywhere across the front line is also a huge asset. Let’s see how this situation unfolds in the coming hours.
Lazio agree deal with Chelsea for Giroud; exit dependant on completion of Mertens deal
Olivier Giroud has been linked with a move to Lazio in recent hours, with the Italian outfit understood to have reached a deal with Chelsea. However, Giroud’s departure will be solely dependent on whether or not the Blues can get the aforementioned pursuit of Mertens over the line.
Yesterday, it was revealed that Tottenham Hotspur - who are also frantically looking to sign a striker before the window closes to replace the injured Harry Kane – had registered their interest in Giroud and the Frenchman would be open to joining Jose Mourinho’s men.
Although, at the moment, it seems as though all of this depends on whether or not Chelsea can sign Mertens. If the Blues are able to sign the Belgian, there’ll be a domino effect and there can be developments regarding Giroud’s future accordingly. Similarly, all of this can come to nought if Napoli refuse to budge from their stance of not wanting to let Mertens leave mid-season and offer him a contract extension in the coming months.
Barcelona preparing late push for Willian
Barcelona are preparing to make a last-minute attempt at signing Willian and are set to launch a £20 million bid for the winger. The Blaugrana have had a long-standing interest in the Brazilian and had two bids rejected for him last season as well. The situation has changed now and with Willian having only six months left on his contract, Barca feel like they have a real chance of landing their man for a significantly cheaper price.
Quique Setien’s men have been looking for attacking reinforcements after Luis Suarez was ruled out for four months after undergoing knee surgery, and are currently in talks with Valencia over a potential deal for Spanish striker Rodrigo.
Willian’s addition would give them another option for the wide-forward position and consequently enable Setien to deploy either Lionel Messi or Antoine Griezmann’s as a false 9.
