- Man Utd boss Jose Mourinho is reportedly an admirer of Napoli’s Dries Mertens
- Mertens has been in sensational form since last season
- The Belgian international didn’t rule out a future move to England
- READ MORE: Race for £62m Manchester United target is hotting up, Manchester City eye a January bid
Napoli forward Dries Mertens has been in sensational form over the past 18 months, and in turn it’s reported that Man Utd have been keeping tabs on him.
The 30-year-old scored 34 goals in 45 appearances last season for the Serie A giants, as Gonzalo Higuain’s exit allowed him to adopt a central role up front in which he flourished.
He’s shown that it wasn’t a fluke year with his form so far this season, scoring 12 in 18 in all competitions, and so he’s undoubtedly one of the most in-form and prolific strikers in Europe currently.
As reported by The Express, while he has insisted that he’s happy with Napoli having taken his game to the next level under Maurizio Sarri, he hasn’t shut the door on a possible move to England in the future with the report noting that Jose Mourinho has sent scouts to watch the Belgian international and he remains keen.
“I’m happy in Italy and I’m fine at Napoli,” Mertens said. “But maybe in the future I could come to England.”
At 30, he might not have too much longer if he’s eyeing a move to one of the top clubs as ultimately it’s difficult to see them investing in the later stages of his career.
However, it’s added by the Express that he has a £25m release clause which would certainly be appealing to interested parties as that would arguably be a snip for an established player of his quality with his goalscoring record at such a high level in today’s market given the transfer fees we’ve seen in recent times, and so it remains to be seen what the future holds for Mertens.
In the more immediate picture, he’ll undoubtedly be hoping to lead Napoli to a Serie A title. The Partenopei currently sit top of the pile with 10 wins and two draws in 12 games so far this season, giving them a slender one-point lead over rivals Juventus.
If Mertens were able to lead them to a Scudetto, perhaps that would be the perfect way in which to then go on and seek a new challenge in England. However, there’s still a very long way to go before that happens, and so time will tell if Man Utd land their target.