So it seems that after a throwaway comment from Il Mattino that José Mourinho had enquired about Dries Mertens, members of the Italian press believe the move could actually happen.
Available for just €28m thanks to a release clause in his current deal, the Belgian forward is now widely expected to leave Napoli in the summer, and Gazzetta dello Sport reckon Manchester United could be his next destination.
Looking at what the Serie A club’s squad could look like next season, the Italian newspaper explain the future of the side’s attack is Arkadiusz Milik, meaning Mertens will need to find himself a new team.
At the end of their “Addio Mertens” segment, Gazzetta boldly state the forward ‘could conclude his career at Manchester United’.
With strong rumours of an Anthony Martial exit being in the works, replacing him with the more experienced 31-year-old seems like peak José Mourinho, especially if he can get him for under €30m.
While he hasn’t scored nearly as much as he did last year, Mertens has still enjoyed a relatively prolific season with Napoli, contributing with 22 goals and 12 assists in 47 appearances.
The question here is: will Ed Woodward risk the wrath of Martial FC? We’ll have to wait and see.
