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What’s the rumour?
Manchester United and Arsenal have set sights on Dries Mertens according to reports in CalcioMercato. The Italian publication claims that the two Premier League sides are keeping a close eye on his contract talks at Napoli.
The Belgian reportedly has a €28 million release clause on his current contract and that has put a lot on club on alert. Despite being 30-years-old, he is still wanted by the big teams because of his goal scoring abilities.
In case you didn’t know...
Mertens' current contract at Napoli runs down in 2020. The worry for the Serie A side is the release cause that is in his contract.
They are keen on getting him to sign a new so that the clause can be removed. Reports claim that the striker wants €4 million as wages every season – something Napoli have not yet agreed on.
The heart of the matter
Manchester United have let go of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and have no one as a backup for Romelu Lukaku. Marcos Rashford and Anthony Martial are strikers but Jose Mourinho has been playing them on the wings.
Arsenal have Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette in their squad and it a surprise that they are in for Mertens. The Belgian would have been a perfect fit for them but with 2 amazing strikers already in the squad, it's not clear where they would opt to play him.
Rumour probability: 4/10
Calcio Mercato are a reliable source and they have only claimed that the two sides are interested. They have not mentioned any move made by the two teams and that will only happen once the season gets over.
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Author’s Take
Mertens moving to the Premier League would be a brilliant thing to happen but I really don't think he will be able to replicate his Napoli form in England.
