According to reports in The Sun, West Ham United are said to be lining up an ambitious £20m move for Napoli forward Dries Mertens this summer.
Irons manager Slaven Bilic is ready to significantly strengthen his squad following a disappointing season, with Sunday’s 4-0 defeat to Liverpool at the London Stadium just one of a number of below-par performances and results throughout the campaign.
Now the Croatian is targeting a move for the 30-year-old attacker, who is also said to be interesting the Hammers’ Premier League rivals Chelsea and Manchester United having so far failed to sign a new contract with the Serie A giants.
It would have to be an attractive offer too with the east London outfit having no European football on offer for the Belgium international next term, but it would certainly be a huge coup if they could bring him to the London Stadium.
Here are three reasons signing Mertens would help bring the good times back to West Ham fans…
He would bring goals and plenty of them
Despite primarily playing on the left side of a front three, the Belgium international has scored a remarkable 31 goals in 44 appearances in all competitions for Napoli this season to help keep them in contention to win the Serie A title.
His prolific record in front of goal would boost an Irons side that has often struggled to find the net when the likes of Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho have been ruled out because of injury this term.
If they were able to bring the forward to the London Stadium for £20m, it could prove to be one of the best bargains in recent years.
His creativity
As well as his ability to put the ball in the back of the net, Mertens is also a creative force for his teammates too, which is something the Irons have perhaps lacked since Dimitri Payet threw his toys out of the pram and departed for Marseille during the January transfer window.
In 33 Serie A appearances this term he has provided 10 assists while he also picked up four in eight outings in the Champions League too.
The Irons have been missing that spark all season long and the 30-year-old would be the answer to their problem.
He would excite Iron fans
There is no doubt that the Irons’ move to the London Stadium from the Boleyn Ground last summer hasn’t been the smoothest transition, with supporters struggling to create the same atmosphere as they did in their old home.
The team has also found it difficult to adapt too with a number of poor performances, and the home match against Tottenham Hotspur earlier this month is perhaps the first time we saw the atmosphere that is required for every match on their own turf.
However, it wasn’t replicated in the defeat against Liverpool on Sunday and perhaps it is because there are no players to excite the fans or to get them off of their seats.
A tricky dribbler and an attacker who loves to run at defenders, Mertens has the ability to do exactly that and he could be an important piece of the puzzle to improve the atmosphere in the London Stadium.
Do you agree, Irons fans? Let us know below.