Arsenal get Higuain boost as Napoli chief open to striker’s exit

Arsenal get Higuain boost as Napoli chief open to striker’s exit

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has confirmed the club are working on various deals and remain open to the possibility of Gonzalo Higuain departing this summer.

The 28-year-old has been openly courted by Juventus as Arsene Wenger weighs up a move, but Di Laurentiis has confirmed neither club have tabled a formal offer for his player.

The Napoli chief revealed a players-plus-cash offer from Atletico Madrid was rejected out of hand this summer, but he would not rule out Higuain’s departure if the deal satisfied the Serie A runners-up.

The Argentina international scored 36 league goals last term and has a £78.8million release clause – a fee Arsenal at not willing to part with – but Napoli are prepared to enter the market for a replacement if an offer for Higuain suits them.

“We’re working on various areas of the pitch,” De Laurentiis said of Napoli’s recruitment drive this summer.

“We’re after [Massimo] Donati and 10 others. We need a right-back – maybe it’d be better to have someone who can play either side – then we need one or two midfielders.

“Then we’ll see if we’ll need a replacement for Higuain or not. Even without Higuain, we came second in 2013.”

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