Naples icon, Dries Mertens still does not know what his future will be like. And for good reason, his contract ends within a month. Recently, the Italian press has been reporting strong interest in Sarri and Lazio towards him.
After months of negotiations, no agreement was reached between De Laurentiis and the Mertens clan. The player had already felt that he was no longer playing for the money. While the president actually admitted that he had to make big savings. Currently, Drieske earns up to five million euros a year. An astronomical salary for the club’s finances and for a 35-year-old player.
Present at a press conference, De Laurentiis put pressure on the Red Devil. But also on Kalidou Koulibaly for whom his lease ends in June 2023. “Kalidou Koulibaly and Dries Mertens are two footballers that I respect and love enormously”he began. “But it’s all up to them. Are they going to choose vile money as the only thing that can make them happy or do they want to continue living in Napoli, which is a privilege? Do they want to stay in a locker room and a environment that gave them great satisfaction, or not?”
A way to put pressure on two elements respected and adored by the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. “Now is not the time for us as a club to bleed to death with crazy proposals.”
De Laurentiis insists on the change of model of Napoli. While taking the example of the one who won the championship. “Milan won the Scudetto with 40 million euros less wages than us. It means we did something wrong. We want to do everything to bring the scudetto back to Napoli, but not by going bankrupt.”