Chelsea are exploring a Bosman deal for Napoli striker Dries Mertens.

The Daily Star says Chelsea are still understood to be interested in signing Napoli forward Dries Mertens this summer despite failing to capture him in January.

Mertens is out of contract with the Serie A side at the end of the season.

Napoli chief Aurelio De Laurentiis has been extremely confident that the Belgian will put pen to paper over a new deal soon.

But Italian reports state that there were 'signals' from the player and his representatives that this was not the case.

Problems including fines and emergency pay cuts have supposedly delayed Mertens agreeing a new deal, and his representatives, Stirr Associates, are looking into other eventualities.