Meet the teenage La Liga ace Conte wants at Chelsea
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We can pretty confidently expect Chelsea to sign several players this summer as they bid to take on the Champions League, and one reported target is Sporting Gijon star Jorge Mere.
The 19-year-old has featured 24 times in La Liga this season, and it’s believed Chelsea have become interested in recent weeks over a potential move.
Mere is contracted to Gijon until 2020, but the centre-half’s deal includes a £25m release clause.
And the club, who currently sit in the relegation zone five points from safety, may even sell for less should they go down this summer.
Current centre-half Gary Cahill turns 32 later this year, and it’s widely accepted that Conte will look to bring in a replacement this summer.
And it remains to be seen how the future of David Luiz plays out long-term under Conte, with the Brazilian a somewhat surprising signing late in last year’s summer window.
Mere came through the Oviedo and Gijon youth systems, and made his senior debut with the latter two years ago, a week shy of his 18th birthday.
He has also featured for Spain regular at various age levels, playing a part in the squad which won the UEFA U19 European Championships in 2015.
Predominantly a centre-half, Mere can also play at left-back, and that versatility may also aide his chances of making a summer switch to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea are closing in on this season’s Premier League title, but we’re yet to see how Conte and the Blues will take to European competition, having not featured in either of the Champions League or Europa League this year.
According to the stats at whoscored.com, Mere is producing 2.1 tackles and 2.2 interceptions per game.
In a difficult season for Gijon, Mere has been one of the few positives, and is also averaging 0.8 blocks and four clearances per game.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
