According to Il Mattino (h/t Metro), Premier League rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Napoli forward Dries Mertens.
Over the past few years, the Belgian international has been in fine form for both club and country.
Mertens is in his seventh season with the Serie A giants, having scored 116 goals in 297 appearances for the Italian outfit. The forward’s contract with the club will expire at the end of the season.
The report also claims that last month, Mertens was informed that he could leave Napoli at the end of the season, thus alerting the sides interested in securing his services.
In 15 games this term, the forward has notched up 7 goals and has provided 2 assists for his teammates.
Meanwhile, Arsenal seem to be going through a rough patch as they haven’t won any of their last five outings. Currently, they are 8 points away from the top four and their chances of getting back on track seem bleak.
With the international break in place, the Gunners must aim to improve once the league gets underway.
Arsenal have three centre-forwards in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and the young Martinelli. While Aubameyang has been leading the team from the front, Lacazette hasn’t been consistently featuring due to injuries and has already missed 7 fixtures this season.
Martinelli has been taking his chances mostly in the League Cup and Europa League and has played only 4 games in the Premier League.
On the other hand, Mertens has been a prolific goalscorer and his instinctive finishes have improved during his time at Napoli. He has been scoring around 20 goals or more over the past three seasons.
His partnership with Lorenzo Insigne and Jose Callejon has been vital for the Naples-based outfit in recent years.
Arsenal could benefit from signing the 32-year-old, who, despite ageing, doesn’t seem to be slowing down. His ability to shoot from distance has been helpful for his side on a number of occasions.
Mertens has immense experience and at Arsenal, he is capable of being guaranteed a place in the starting line-up and could play alongside Aubameyang and Lacazette.
If Arsenal are looking to add firepower to their attacking system, Dries Mertens would certainly be the man to go for.
Boss Unai Emery must work hard to secure his services, as he has also been linked with clubs like Tottenham and Serie A giants Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan, according to Calciomercato.
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