Report: Napoli Star Dries Mertens Admits Release Clause Makes Him 'a Bargain'
Napoli ace Dries Mertens has made some worrying comments about his contract with the Italian club as he defined himself as a 'bargain' that is now rarely found elsewhere in Europe.
The Belgian striker has provided 28 goals for the Azzurri last year and was often courted by several international clubs, who would have done everything to secure him.
Now that Lionel Messi has signed a new contract with Barcelona that includes a €700m break clause, Mertens has talked money in an interview with Belgian media outlet Het Laatste Nirewus (via Gazzetta dello Sport).
He said: "Since this summer I have a release clause in my contract that is worth €28m, but last winter I received a big-money offer from China, where I would have had an incredible wage."
"However, Napoli didn't want me to go and I wished to remain there, so nothing happened. This is why I decided to add a release clause to the contract. It's not much for a Chinese club to trigger."
Such amount of money seemed a fair sum to Mertens until Neymar left Barcelona for Paris-Saint-Germain. His world-record switch to the French club made the Belge reflect on his break clause: "€28m is basically nothing. I have become a bargain; where can you find a player who scored 28 goals in Serie A and is as cheap as I am? Nowhere, right?"
Neymar's sudden departure from Barcelona also raised other career concerns for Mertens, who commented: "Sometimes I think about what would have happened had I known of Neymar's switch to PSG a little earlier: maybe I could have replaced it. If you take a look at who plays on the left now...it could have been me.
"Leaving Napoli currently isn't in my plans, but I admit that the idea of ending up at the Blaugrana gave me something to reflect upon. "
