Presenter and Leeds United supporter Joe Wainman has claimed that fans should forget about Dries Mertens because they will not be in for him this summer.
Reports in Italy have claimed Mertens is on the radar of Leeds United this summer, but the Premier League side face competition from Newcastle United, who are also tracking the progress of the Belgian attacker, who would bring a wealth of experience to any club he joins.
The 36-year-old has recently become a free agent after his contract with Napoli expired at the end of last season, following a campaign where he featured 30 times in Serie A for the Italian side and netted 11 times.
Despite being linked with a move to Leeds, Wainman spoke on the JustJoe Football Show and claimed that the Whites are not going to go down that route because he is too old and will want mega money.
He said: “Forget about Mertens. Leeds United will not be in for Dries Mertens, and if they do, I think it’s wrong, for me, personally. The guy will be on mega money, he’s too old, we’ve tried that. Look at Rodrigo – we’ve tried it.”
Do you think Leeds should go for Mertens?Yes
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TIF Thoughts on Wainman’s comments…
Leeds have already made six new signings this summer which have cost them a total of £95.08m, and the oldest player they have signed is Marc Roca who is 25 years old, so it is clear what approach Jesse Marsch is going for, which makes the potential signing of Mertens look seriously unlikely.
With the expected departure of Raphinha this summer, Marsch will be hoping to get a new attacker through the door, and with Charles De Ketelaere and Arnaud Kalimuendo being linked with a move to Elland Road, they look a lot more realistic than Mertens because of their ages and the strategy that Marsch is looking for when introducing new players to the team.