Representatives from Tottenham Hotspur and Everton may have had eyes on Napoli’s clash with Fiorentina given recent transfer links.
Dries Mertens has now scored 27 times in the league this season
Given recent transfer links, it would hardly have been a surprise if representatives from Tottenham and Everton had one eye on Napoli’s clash with Fiorentina on Saturday.
Calcio Mercato reported back in April that Tottenham had sent scouts to watch Dries Mertens, while Il Mattino suggested that Everton were monitoring Kalidou Koulibaly’s situation with the Serie A side.
And it may surely be fair to assume that their reported interest would have only increased if they watched Napoli’s emphatic 4-1 victory this weekend as the pair shone to help keep the club’s hopes of finishing second in the top flight alive.
It was Koulibaly who broke the deadlock as he reacted fastest to score when the ball broke free following a corner, before Mertens virtually took centre-stage.
The Belgian created the second with a well-weighted pass into Lorenzo Insigne’s path, before scoring twice himself.
Koulibaly opened the scoring in the win
The first saw Mertens demonstrate his tenacity, winning the ball amongst several Fiorentina players to tap in from close range, while he demonstrated his class in the build-up to his second, pulling off an outrageous nutmeg before sliding the ball into his teammate and subsequently tapping the ball home when the initial shot was saved.
The performances of the pair and the rest of the Napoli side made a Fiorentina team that could still finish sixth look very average, so it would hardly be a surprise if the club were having to field offers for several of their key men this summer.
And with Everton and Spurs both looking to take that next step in the Premier League, they should surely consider soon confirming their reported interest with bids as landing their respective targets would definitely boost their hopes of realising those ambitions.
Mertens scored a brace in the win
Koulibaly has been a key part of the defence that has conceded just 37 times in the league this term so would undoubtedly be a fantastic addition to Ronald Koeman’s ranks.
Meanwhile, Mertens is only behind Edin Dzeko in the division’s goalscoring charts with his brace taking him to 27 for the season, so while it may be extremely difficult for any side to pull off a deal, Tottenham would certainly be making a major statement if they followed up their fairly recent scouting trip by looking to win the race for the attacker.
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