Dries Mertens was fascinated by the prospect of joining Inter and forming a partnership with national team teammate Romelu Lukaku according to a report in today’s print edition of Italian daily newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.

Inter had shown a keen interest in bringing the Belgian national team player to the club and had offered him a two year deal worth €4.5 million a year but this offer caused Napoli president and owner Aurelio De Laurentiis to match that salary and also offer him a €2 million signing on bonus and option of a third year.

De Laurentiis’ offer convinced Mertens to forget about a move to Inter, despite how fascinated he was, and prolong his stay at the Stadio San Paolo.

This season the 33-year-old has made 29 appearances across all competitions to date. In just under 1800 minutes in total on the park, Mertens has scored 12 goals and provided six assists for his teammates.