The future of Dries Mertens is uncertain. The 34-year-old winger would love to extend his stay at Napoli, but he realizes he is dependent on chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis’ decision. The number three in Serie A has the option to extend Mertens’ expiring contract for another year after the end of this season. Should the cooperation nevertheless be stopped, the Belgian veteran will leave the club with his head held high.
“Napoli has the option to extend my contract, we’ll see what happens,” Mertens said in an interview with Corriere dello Sport. “I know that there are two options and that it is quite possible that we will say goodbye to each other. And I also know that in that case there will be crying at home. Myself, Kat (wife Katrin Kerkhofs, ed.), the baby, believe me, because we are very happy here. But you also have to be realistic and practical, Napoli may not need me anymore.”
“I hope I don’t get that message any time soon. But should it eventually happen, extend my hand to show the club my deepest gratitude. I have been given the opportunity to enter this world. I have I really appreciated it and loved every moment at Napoli,” said Mertens, who is the southern Italian club’s all-time top scorer with 143 goals. The winger knows what to do in the coming months. “Score a lot, so that Aurelio (De Laurentiis, ed.) has to keep me here. The more I score, the more he realizes that I have to get a new contract. And I still have a trump card that I can use.”
“Instead of throwing money for a new attacker, I offer De Laurentiis my son. He is a young striker with a long career ahead of him. And that way I don’t have to spend my life and our home in Naples to give,” Mertens concludes with a quip. In October, it was announced that the attacker and his wife are expecting their first child, a son. The couple announced the pregnancy in October with an emotional video on social media.