Napoli forward Dries Mertens’ release clause will only increase by €5million if the Italian club win the Serie A title, according to Calciomercato.com.
Arsenal reportedly made a move for the player in April, prior to their interest in Alexandre Lacazette, but the Belgian star signed a new deal back in May, keeping him at the club until 2020. At the time though, it was reported that the 30 year old demanded a buyout clause of just €28million to be inserted into his contract.
It seems that there is an additional condition in place which increases the release fee to €33m (£29.2m) if Napoli do finish first and win the Scudetto this season. Maurizio Sarri’s side currently sit top of Serie A with seven wins from seven matches, with Mertens’ goalscoring exploits a key reason for their flying start.
After scoring 34 times in all competitions last campaign, the Belgian international has scored nine in 11 games so far this season. Napoli are understandably keen to remove the clause, but if they can’t convince him to stay, he could be set to leave next summer for a bargain price.