Leeds United can make a "massive statement signing" by luring Napoli striker Dries Mertens to Elland Road this summer in what would be an ambitious move, says journalist Pete O'Rourke.

The Yorkshire club are said to be interested in the 35-year-old, whose contract expires at the end of the month.

GiveMeSport Transfer Verdict

GiveMeSport Transfer Verdict

What is the latest news involving Mertens?

According to Voetbal Flitsen, three Premier League clubs are keen on Mertens, with Leeds being one of them.

The other two mentioned are Newcastle United and Crystal Palace, and the same report claims that it is the former who have the best chance of signing the Belgian this summer.

While Mertens is not getting any younger, he still proved to be a very useful forward in the 2021/22 season.

For Napoli, he played 37 games in all competitions and scored 13 goals, taking his total career tally to 246, which is extremely impressive. It is no surprise that the late Diego Maradona was such a big fan, hailing him for that goalscoring ability and his desire to run around.

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What has O'Rourke said about Mertens to Leeds?

O'Rourke fears it will be a hard deal to do, but if Leeds manage to pull it off, he thinks they would end up making quite a statement.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said: "If they could get somebody like him in, it'd be a massive statement signing from Leeds United. I think it'll be a hard deal to do, but the opportunity to play in the Premier League is something that maybe appeals to Mertens at this stage of his career."

Should Leeds sign Mertens this summer?

If they can, then absolutely. As already mentioned, the Napoli man has a really good goalscoring record. He will be available on a free transfer, too, making him an even more attractive option.

Looking into his stats further, over the last year, he has ranked in the 95th percentile for shot-creating actions, the 83rd for touches in the penalty area and the 89th for pressures among forwards (via FBref).

So as well as being an attacking threat, Mertens is a forward who is willing to press and apply pressure to the opposition, making him ideal for Jesse Marsch.

After how things went in the 2021/22 season, Leeds need a new striker. Their first choice in that position, Patrick Bamford, only played nine games because of injury.

Mertens looks like he would be perfect, but bringing him in could indeed be difficult with other clubs sniffing around. Should Leeds be able to, though, it would undoubtedly go down as a terrific piece of business done by the Yorkshire club.