Dries Mertens can probably be admired in the shirt of Olympique Marseille next season. Various French. Belgian and Italian media report that the currently clubless wing attacker is high on the list of chairman Pablo Longoria and that there has already been contact between the two parties. Mertens (35) can sign a contract for a season in Marseille, with the option of an extra year. The annual salary would be 2.5 million euros. He has never played in Ligue 1 before.
According to The newspapaer Mertens’ management has even been spotted in Marseille. The financial picture could pose an obstacle during the negotiations. The veteran was one of the big earners at Napoli, where his contract officially expired on June 30. What is attractive for Mertens is the fact that Marseille is preparing for the group stage of the Champions League, where he first has to enter the qualifying cycle with the Italian club.
Mertens, who was previously linked to Royal Antwerp, seems ready for a definitive departure from Napoli after nine seasons of loyal service. The Belgian attacker and the club management were too far apart in terms of intended salary during talks about a new contract. According to RAI Mertens has started negotiations with a clear idea of what he wants to earn. The 35-year-old attacker wants four million euros per season, plus bonuses. He is also looking for a two-year contract.
Aurelio de Laurentiis, the club’s president from Naples, has presented the attacker just €1.8 million plus bonuses, about half of what he earned last season. The difference between the offer of De Laurentiis and that of Mertens therefore seems too great to resolve. He played a total of 397 games for i Partenopei† Mertens scored 148 goals in those matches. This makes him the player with the most goals ever for Napoli, followed by club legends Lorenzo Insigne and Marek Hamsik (both 121) and Diego Maradona (114).
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