According to reports, Arsenal is ready to launch a bid for Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain.
Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain has reportedly told the Partenopei he wishes to leave Italy, amid rumours of a possible £43 million transfer bid from Arsenal, according to Bleacher Report.
According to Calciomercato.com (h/t Daily Express’ Uche Amako), the Argentina international, who has a release clause of roughly £67.4 million, still has a contract until 2018, although it seems doubtful he will stick around that long.
Higuain is in the news recently for the wrong reasons as he was made the scapegoat of Argentina’s failure to win Copa America when he missed a golden chance to score for the Albiceleste and also failed to score from the spot kick as hosts Chile won the match on penalties to clinch the prestigious Cup.
The 27 year old was also held responsible for the loss to Germany in the World Cup final.
He’s been Napoli’s top scorer since joining the Italians from Real Madrid in 2013, but following Napoli’s disappointing finish to the 2014/15 Serie A campaign, which saw the Partenopei lose out on a ticket for the Champions League, a transfer has seemed almost inevitable.
Napoli have no intention of letting their star man walk for pennies on the dollar, however. As reported by Gazzetta Dello Sport (h/t Sky Sports), president Aurelio De Laurentiis has previously stated he will not leave the club for any fee under his buyout clause.
A fee of roughly £67.4 million seems ridiculous for a 27-year-old striker who has regressed since leaving Los Blancos―in fact, even the potential bid of £43 million the Gunners are reportedly considering seems like a massive amount of money for Higuain.
The Argentine scored 18 goals in Serie A last season and was by far Napoli’s top scorer. The year before, he had 17. Those are solid numbers, but it’s not the kind of production you’d expect from a player who would have to cost the Gunners roughly the record fee they paid for Mesut Ozil.
Meanwhile, Muzzi Ozcan, who has links with clubs around the Europe including Arsenal, was spotted meeting Gunners striker Olivier Giroud in a restaurant last year amid rumours of a potential departure, tweeted this yesterday.
He claimed that Arsenal are going to seal the ‘Transfer of the Season’.
Ozcan’s company, Mondial Sport Management & Consulting, currently represents Arsenal stars Giroud, Mathieu Debuchy and Yaya Sanogo, prompting supporters of the north London giants to get rather excited about the ‘upcoming’ transfer on social media.
However, later on Wednesday, Tancredi Palmeri, who is a beIN Sports correspondent and a CNN/Gazzetta dello Sport contributor, tweeted that the Gunners had made a €45m offer for Argentina star Gonzalo Higuain.
Arsenal have made a 45m€ offer for Higuain
— Tancredi Palmeri (@tancredipalmeri) July 8, 2015
Higuain is also a Liverpool target and after Arsenal’s bid for the Argentine, it will be interesting to see how Napoli responds and the ‘Transfer of the Season’ happens or not.