Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool have been handed a transfer boost as Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain wants to leave the Stadio San Paolo in the summer, according to reports from Italy.
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Gazzetta dello Sport [via the Daily Star] state that the Argentine’s exit from Napoli is fast approaching, and his brother and agent to hold talks with Partenopei president Aurelio De Laurentiis this week.
Napoli look poised to miss out on a place in next season’s Champions League, despite a clash with third-place Lazio to come on the final weekend of the Serie A season. Lazio are just three points ahead, but boast a much better goal difference.
It seems that Higuain, after two seasons with the club, has grown fed up with life at the Stadio San Paolo, and the thought of not playing in the Champions League next season is likely to have made his mind up on seeking a way out – again according to the Daily Star.
The striker is not short of options, as his name has been linked alongside Premier League quartet Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United [all via the Express], along with Serie A champions Juventus [Calciomercato] and Ligue 1 winners Paris Saint-Germain [TF1].
The Star suggest that Higuain would command a fee of around £29 million, which would represent good value in the modern transfer market given the premium on strikers.
Having scored 50 goals in 96 appearances for Napoli, and 122 in 264 for Real Madrid prior to that, Higuain’s pedigree speaks for itself.
Given the goalscoring woes at Liverpool – whose top scoring orthodox striker was Daniel Sturridge with four goals – and Manchester United, who saw Robin Van Persie and Radamel Falcao misfire for much of the season, Higuain would be a significant improvement.