Dries Mertens reiterates he ‘hopes to stay at Napoli,’ but has not received any proposals for a contract extension, as other options emerge.
He is the all-time top scorer in the club’s history and one of the candidates to take the captain’s armband following Lorenzo Insigne’s departure.
There was an option on his contract, which expires on June 30, to extend for another year, but Napoli have decided not to activate it.
“I don’t know yet where I will play next season, if it’s at Napoli or some other club,” Mertens told HLN Sport while on international duty with Belgium.
“I hope to stay at Napoli, but I can’t say any more than that. Obviously, I hope to stay, but I haven’t received any offers, so we’ll have to see.”
Meanwhile, Jose Mourinho’s Roma and Maurizio Sarri’s Lazio have been linked with a bid for Mertens, though a return to Belgium is also potentially on the cards with Royal Antwerp FC.
Mertens turned 35 last month and has 21 goals in 105 senior caps for Belgium, while this season he found the net 13 times in 37 competitive games for Napoli, many of them off the bench.
Dries #Mertens parla ancora dal Belgio, pochi giorni fa in mixed zone: “Non sai ancora dove giocherai? No, non lo so ancora. Lo saprai a breve? Per forza. Spero di restare a #Napoli, ma non dico niente: ovviamente spero di restarci, ma non ho avuto nessuna offerta, vedremo”
— Claudio Russo (@claudioruss) June 18, 2022