Chelsea will reportedly step up their pursuit of Edinson Cavani by holding crunch talks with Napoli in the next 24 hours.

The Blues have been in the market for a high-profile striker. However, with their top target Radamel Falcao joining free-spending Monaco and the Robert Lewandowski transfer saga reaching a standstill, the west London outfit is understood to have zeroed in on Cavani.

Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis had previously confirmed Chelsea's interest in the in-demand Uruguayan and revealed he would meet the Blues in the near future to agree on a possible deal. And, according to the Mirror, those negotiations will happen in the next few hours.

Edinson Cavani
Reuters

New Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is determined to land Cavani and will have the backing of club owner Roman Abramovich. However, they refuse to shell out the £53m required to trigger the 26-year-old's release clause and are looking to reach a compromise with Napoli.

However, the Blues are unlikely to reach a quick resolution to the issue, courtesy of Real Madrid's interest in the player. Cavani's father had recently stated that his son would prefer a move to the Bernabeu and now the striker has also hinted at a summer move to the Meringues.

"Real Madrid is a great team. To play for them is the dream of every child. So far, however, officially, nobody has spoke directly with me to make me an offer," Cavani pointed out.

"At this stage, I am not thinking about my future. I am a Napoli player for now, and I am focused on the Confederations Cup. It's not up to me what the clubs decide, there are other factors to consider," the forward added.

Manchester City are also hoping to clinch a deal for Cavani this summer and the reports claim they are ready to table a player-plus-cash offer involving Edin Dzeko. Napoli are understood to be seeking to use Chelsea and City's interest to get the best deal possible from Madrid.