Mertens-Napoli, everything is silent on the renewal: the club is taking time

His position is clear, it always has been. Dries Mertens wants to stay in Naples, to end his career. The bond with the city has become even more unique, after the birth of Ciro Romeo, the first child of the Belgian and his wife Kat Kerkhofs, on 26 March. A name that recalls the Neapolitan identity, of which the player has become an almost essential component. Over the years he has become the best scorer in the history of the club, with 144 goals scored in blue. A number that could still be tweaked by the end of the season, which at the moment would be the only one that would not close in double figures. At that point, then, it will be necessary to understand what will become of his future. What is certain is that Napoli will not exercise the option included in the latest agreement, with which it could confirm Mertens until June 2023 at the same engagement. This is over 4 million euros for a player who will turn 35 in a month: a move that conceptually has no place in Aurelio De Laurentiis’ strategy. It is known, in fact, that the president wants to cut costs by 30%, which he is already implementing: the sale of Manolas and the failed renewals of Insigne, Malcuit and Ghoulam are to be read in this sense.

Season

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The case of Mertens is different from those mentioned above. If a new proposal from Napoli were to arrive, the player is aware that it would be much lower than the current salary. And it is a position, that of the company, all in all understandable considering the age. The Belgian, on the other hand, could assert a still tangible importance on a technical level, despite the fact that he has only played half of the games as a starter this season (15 out of 30). He scored 9 goals and served 2 assists; yesterday in Bergamo he replaced the suspended Osimhen getting the penalty converted by Insigne for the momentary 0-1.

Decision in June

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Spalletti, although he uses it in a reduced way, has great consideration. “He is a player who can change the fate of matches, as well as one of the leaders of the locker room”, said the coach in the press conference to present the match against Atalanta. He often preferred the Belgian to Petagna, even as a tactical weapon when the team is down in the score, as happened against Udinese, where Mertens played as second striker. In any case, there has not yet been an approach between the parties, just like two years ago. An agreement was then reached in June, with the season still running due to the pandemic. It is harder to reach the happy ending this time too, but certainly not impossible.