As the days go by, it’s hard to see Dries Mertens leaving Napoli this summer, even if he hasn’t signed a new deal with the Serie A club yet.
The Belgian forward has had a season most could only dream about under Maurizio Sarri, scoring 31 goals and providing 14 assists in 44 appearances in all competitions.
This, and the fact his current deal runs out in 2018, has led to a lot speculation about his future, with rumours of moves to both Manchester United and Chelsea flying around, yet the one interest that appears to have stuck is West Ham’s.
The Hammers are in desperate need of someone capable of scoring 20 goals a season, something Mertens could potentially do, and Il Mattino on Tuesday report that Slaven Bilic would be ready to spend €30m on the 30-year-old.
This would be more than the €25m release clause Napoli are so desperate to install in the renewal, meaning that that, were the offer to land on their desk, they could very well consider it.
Of course, even if they do accept it, there is the small issue of whether Mertens would want to move to the London Stadium considering a stay at Napoli would include remaining in a system perfect for him and Champions League football.
There is no doubt that, if they wanted to, West Ham could offer more money than Napoli, but having just had his best season yet, would Mertens want to leave all that behind for a heftier paycheque and a hopeful battle for Europa League qualification next season?
We’ll have to wait and see, but our guess, right now, is no.
