Dries Mertens and Napoli will continue their relationship, as a new deal is expected to be signed in the coming days. Both sides hoped for an extension as the conclusion to the negotiations, and it will be completed after a decisive acceleration on the part of president Aurelio De Laurentiis, who raised his offer equaling the amount promised by Inter. Mertens immediately accepted. His salary will be €4m per season net of taxes plus bonus targets, on top of a €2.5m signing bonus. The deal, a two-year deal, will tie Mertens to Naples through 2022, once signed by the player, who is still negotiating the final details. Gennaro Gattuso played a crucial role in the negotiations, the coach pushed to make a new offer to Mertens, who he sees as vital to his project. Mertens stalled talks with Inter in hopes that he would eventually be able to find a way to stay at Napoli, as his choice were he not to return would have been to leave the country rather than play for another Serie A team.
