Dries Mertens has posted a farewell me sage to Napoli fans, saying his exit was not how he would have planned it.The Belgium forwards nine-year stay at the Serie A club came to an end following the 2021-22 Oklahoma City Thunder Hats season after he rejected the offer of a new contract.Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis previously said Mertens turned down the offer of a new deal because he wanted more money, telling Radio Ki Jalen Lecque Jersey s Ki s:I presented him with 4million per season gro s and he refused.So I said thank you very muchI need to have money to buy young players who can represent Napoli in future seasons.In a me sage posted to his social media on Wednesday, Mertens said: Dear Neapolitans, I knew this day would eventually come, but I didnt know how difficult it would be to say goodbye.He also went on to praise the city of Naples for adopting him, pointing out that Al Horford Jersey his son Ciro, who features in the video with him, was born in the city. The former PSV man added: I did not leave as I would have liked before finishing with: this is not farewell, only goodbye.The Partenopei have seenLorenzo Insigne, Darius Bazley Jersey David Ospina, Kalidou Koulibalyand Arkadiusz Milik also departduring this transfer window, withMertens leaving as the clubs record goalscorerwith 148 goals.He scored 11 times in 30 Serie A games last season, with his 126 minutes per goal the fourth-best return of any player in the Italian top flightto have netted at least 10 times.Mertens, who has been linked with Inter,Juventus and Marseille,made 397 appearances for Napoli in all, placing him behind Insigne (434), Antonio Juliano (505), Giuseppe Russell Westbrook Jersey Bruscolotti (511) and Marek Hamsik (520).