A host of top clubs including English giants Manchester United and the Gunners of North London are interested in Napoli ace Dries Mertens. The 30-year-old has been in terrific form this season after scoring 17 goals and six assists this season.
He has registered a good goal and assist return for the free flowing Napoli side who are giving a tough challenge to Juventus for their Scudetto this season in the domestic circuit. The Belgian has a contract which runs till 2020 but the situation with Napoli is far from settled with the player also having a €28m release clause in his contract. It is said to have attracted the interest of several top clubs across Europe for the Belgian.
Napoli chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis is said to be stuck with negotiations to keep the player at Stadio San Paolo. The conversation has been engaged for long enough now with neither party ready to break. It is believed that the player wants an annual salary of €4m if he is to agree to the new contract.
However, the club is not ready to offer that but they might just be compelled should the player otherwise get an offer activating his minimal release clause. The situation is not content and it is believed that Manchester United are ready to take advantage of the situation.
However, such reports should not be treated with absolute certainty as Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho had claimed that he is no longer interested in signing any more attacking players. The statement was released by the Portuguese post the signing of Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal.
‘The objective is that now we have more number nines [in the side],’ Mourinho explained after United’s 2-0 victory over Huddersfield.
‘We have Alexis, we have [Romelu] Lukaku, we have [Anthony] Martial, we have [Marcus] Rashford. Rashford can play on the left and the right, Alexis is exactly the same.
‘All of them apart from Lukaku can play also from behind, they can also play as the second striker.
‘That’s why I say that it’s bad for you [the media] because you like to have things to write and things to speculate, especially in the summer – but I don’t want attacking players so don’t speak about attacking players that are coming here because nobody is coming here.
Manchester United Looking To Sign Leicester City Defender: Should Jose Make A Move For Him?
This would mean that it is unlikely United will sing Mertens and the news of him moving to Old Trafford is something we do not see happening this summer.
