Tottenham Hotspur to battle Arsenal and Chelsea for Dries Mertens
According to Voetbal24 via Sport Witness (h/t The Express), Tottenham Hotspur will go up against Arsenal and Chelsea in a bid to sign Napoli star Dries Mertens in the summer transfer window.
The 33-year-old, despite his age, continues to thrive in the Italian top flight. Napoli’s all-time highest scorer, he has scored nine goals and made eight assists in 30 appearances for the Partenopei.
Mertens was close to leaving the Italians last summer but stayed put in order to overtake Diego Maradona as the club’s top scorer. With that now achieved, it may finally be time for him to move on. (h/t The Express)
Napoli too is open to selling their star man and are keen to mitigate the aftereffects of the coronavirus pandemic. They believe he is taking up too much money in wages and are keen to cut down costs where they can. s (h/t The Express)
Spurs do have one of the best strikers in world football in Harry Kane. The English skipper’s future however remains a matter of concern and it could prove to be a pivotal summer for Tottenham.
While we can sign Carlos Vinicius permanently, he alone will do little to compensate for Kane if the striker is sold. Bringing in Mertens while keeping the other two will give Jose Mourinho more options in attack for next season.
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At 33, Mertens is not a long term option for Spurs. However, he still has enough in his tank to become an asset to the team. His clinical finishing combined with his ability to play anywhere along the frontline could make him a gamechanger for us. Whether we can beat off competition to land him remains to be seen.
