According to reports on TalkSport, Southampton target Dries Mertens is set to sign a new bumper contract at Italian side Napoli, extending his stay, and his wage in Italy.
Dries Mertens had a fine season last year for the club, scoring nine goals and notching up ten assists. That fine form meant that he was consistently linked with clubs across the summer. Two of those clubs were Southampton and Liverpool from the Premier League.
Southampton, alongside Liverpool, were said to have been keen on bringing the Belgian international over to England. However, those hopes have now faded, with the mercurial winger looking set for a new contract as his agent has reportedly flown to Italy to finalise the deal.
Despite looking set for a new deal, Dries Mertens has been out of favour of sorts so far this season. He has started just four games in all competitions, coming off the bench another six times. He has however scored four goals from this, showing a glimpse of why Napoli want to keep him and why Southampton wanted him.
With Mertens looking unlikely, who would you want Southampton to sign in January?
![Referee Andy Madley speaks to both Southampton Manager Tonda Eckert [GER] and Middlesbrough Manager Kim Hellberg [SWE] during the Southampton v Middlesbrough EFL Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Semi-Final 2nd Leg match at St Mary's Stadium, Southampton](https://media.readsouthampton.com/readsouthampton/sites/7/2026/09/esme56H7noXX-300x208.webp)
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