Barcelona planning Bosman move for 34-year-old Serie A forward

With Luuk de Jong nearing the end of his loan tenure, Barcelona are aware of the striker crisis at hand. The Dutchman’s departure will leave Martin Braithwaite as the only natural number 9 in the team and this has forced the Catalan giants to take a peek at the transfer market. 

According to Spanish media outlet Fichajes, their search has guided them to Italy with Dries Mertens now touted as a potential target for the summer. The source says Mertens, despite being on the wrong side of 30, is liked by the Barcelona management which is headed by Mateu Alemany.

One of the key aspects of this potential interest is his current contract with Napoli which runs out in June 2022. Given the state Barcelona are in at the moment, it comes as no surprise that the club is exploring free agents rather than signing players for big bucks.

But then again, Barcelona aren’t the only team vying for his signature. Reports say PSV, Mertens’ former club, are in contention too and there are possibilities that the Belgium international will choose to go to a familiar environment.

To say Barcelona’s interest in signing Mertens goes way back would be an understatement. Back in 2017, the forward admitted that he regretted not moving to Barcelona despite an interest simply because he didn’t want to play second fiddle to Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.

Back then, he signed a new contract instead and Neymar eventually moved to Paris Saint-Germain, leaving the Napoli forward red-faced. Latest reports now

Although Mertens is still bagging goals, he does not have a lot left in his tank. A free agent might as well look like a captivating option, but signing a 34-year-old comes with a fair share of risk.

Is there any substance to Barcelona’s interest in Mertens? Maybe so, maybe not. It made sense back in 2017 but depending on the conditions of the deal, maybe a short term move at best would be the most sensible option.