Chelsea to battle Man Utd for Napoli attacker

Premier League rivals Chelsea and Manchester United are set to go head-to-head in the race to sign Napoli forward Dries Mertens in the summer.

The Belgium international has stood out with his performances in the centre-forward role after having notched 30 goals across all competitions.

Mertens has refused to comment on his future over the past couple of months, but club president Aurelio De Laurentiis is confident that the attacker will stay put in Naples.

Belgium daily Het Laatste Nieuws claims that both Chelsea and United have an eye on the frontman with the latter prepared to match his salary demands of around £4.3m a year.

It is added that Blues boss Antonio Conte is also keeping a close watch on the proceedings, and could be prepared to tempt him on a similar wage package in the summer.

Mertens, who previously occupied a wider role, has earned his chance upfront this season after summer recruit Arek Milik sustained a cruciate knee injury earlier in the campaign.