According to Gazet van Antwerpen, Union Saint-Gilloise had a concrete interest in signing 26-year-old Belgian right-back Jenthe Mertens from Lierse, where he had an impressive season as captain with six goals and six assists. However, the transfer is no longer proceeding after Mertens suffered a serious cruciate ligament injury during the last training session of the season, which will keep him out of action for six to eight months. The player confirmed that there had been very concrete proposals from attractive clubs but stated that it was pointless to focus on it. He explained that he has refocused on his recovery for his employer, Lierse, where he is under contract for the following season. Mertens joined the club in July 2025 and has a current Transfermarkt market value of €400k.