President admits he wants to sell – but for big money
Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis has admitted he wants to sell star-striker Gonzalo Higuain this summer, but only for £64.7million.
The Argentinian wants to leave the club this summer after they failed to achieve a Champions League spot for next season, but the Serie A side are refusing to sell for anything less than his release clause.
Higuain has a release clause in his contract worth nearly £65m which is putting off several potential suitors.
Premier League trio Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea have all been linked with the striker, but all cooled their interest after Napoli released a statement confirming they won’t sell for anything less than his release clause.
However, in a more recent interview, Laurentiis confirmed that he wants to sell the striker, as it means he can reinvest in the squad.
Napoli Want Sale
‘Sell Higuain for €90 million (£64.7m)? I’d like to sell him,’ he said.
‘That way I can buy eight players for the club!’
It’s looking unlikely that Napoli will find suitors willing to meet the striker’s release clause.
Chelsea‘s striker hunt may cool off after they signed Radamel Falcao on a season-long loan, but United and Arsenal will continue to keep their options open.
Arsenal need depth to help Danny Welbeck and Olivier Giroud, whilst United will just be left with Wayne Rooney and James Wilson once Robin Van Persie completes his expected move to Fenerbache.
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt
