- Atletico Madrid look to be the new favorites to sign one of Europe’s biggest stars with Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Barcelona also reported to be interested.
- Diego Simeone and Atletico are eyeing a €28m pursuit for Napoli’s Dries Mertens next summer.
- READ ALSO: Bad news for Man United as Jose Mourinho’s side dealt slight blow in pursuit of Barcelona ace
Manchester United could be set to lose out on their pursuit of Napoli’s attacker Dries Mertens with Atletico Madrid looking to be the new front-runners to secure a deal for the Belgian.
A report from Italian newspaper CalcioMercato has suggested that Atletico could be looking to launch a move for Mertens next summer with them looking to bring the star to the club for €28m.
Atletico’s manager Simeone is reported to be worried that the Spanish side could lose both Antoine Griezmann and Yannick Carrasco next summer and eyes the Belgian Mertens as a possible replacement if his attacking stars were to leave.
Mertens’ release clause of €28m is sure to be viewed as a bargain by any of Europe’s elite with the attacker currently setting alight the Serie A with his recent performances. The Belgian has scored an astonishing ten goals in just eleven matches in the league thus far for Napoli and has recently emerged as one of the most talented finishers in Europe.
Understandably however it will not be a straight forward pursuit for Atletico and we expect the likes of Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United to have something to say come next summer’s transfer window. Further, with the demand for the star so high it is likely that he could end up leaving Napoli for a fee in excess of his €28m release clause.