Confirmed: Man Utd Following Serie A Superstar “Very Closely”, Can Sign Him For Just €28m
REUTERS/Ciro De Luca
Manchester United have expressed heavy interest in the services of Napoli star Dries Mertens following his recent rise to stardom, as confirmed by the Italian club’s former sporting director, Pierpaolo Marino.
The Belgium international rose to a rather sudden stardom since switching to the striker role at Napoli. Mertens has already managed to rack up 8 goals and 3 assists this season, which proves his worth on the scouting list of many elite clubs.
However, though the talented forward has been linked with a move to the Red Devils heavily in the past, a switch was deemed unlikely after he signed a contract extension back in May.
Regardless, according to Marino, Jose Mourinho’s side are interested in securing the Belgian’s services, and could do it for as little as €28 million. The ex-sporting director himself revealed United’s movements to sign the striker, and was open to voice that during an interview with Tuttosport (via goal).
“Manchester United are following Mertens very closely,” said the Italian. “He was an underestimated player until he played as a striker, now that he is a ‘real No.9’ he is kept under the eye of big clubs, because the €28 million clause is a a low price, even if he’s 30 years old.”
On the other hand, however, Mourinho has already brought in Romelu Lukaku, who has been performing brilliantly, for a rather heavy sum. Adding further context, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is also set to make a return toward the start of the second half of the campaign, which could create a dilemma during squad selection for the Portuguese.
Nevertheless, adding the 30-year-old to an already lethal roster can only boost the attacking prowess of the Premier League giants. Mertens has a relatively low release clause of €28 million, and could be a real bargain if the Mancunians manage to seize his signature.
Written by Ashish Sreejith 
Have had two addictions in life- playing football and watching football. Usually described as introverted but not when it comes to speaking and writing about the beautiful game of football.