Dries Mertens insists he is ‘very happy at Napoli’ and has no particular intention of returning to a club in Belgium.

The striker is currently on international duty and spoke at a press conference ahead of Belgium’s World Cup qualifiers.

He was forced to miss the Nations League semi-final and third place final due to shoulder surgery and admits it was “painful not to be there. I really missed my teammates and the atmosphere.

“We must stop saying that the World Cup in Qatar is the last chance for Belgium to win something. It might be for me and I hope to be there, but there’s a lot of talent coming through in the next generation too.”

The 34-year-old striker will become a father after wife Kat announced she was expecting their first child.

Could that prompt him to make a return to a club in Belgium so they can be closer to home after moving to Napoli in 2013?

“You can never say never in football, but I am very happy at Napoli.”

Mertens is the all-time top scorer in the club’s history with 136 competitive goals in 368 appearances, along with 87 assists.

His contract runs to June 2022, but there is an option to extend for another season.

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