Transfer Centre

Napoli: 'Gonzalo Higuain has not asked to leave'

By Matt Law, Football Editor | 17 July 2016

Gonzalo Higuain "never said he wanted to leave" Napoli this summer, according to the Italian club's head of communications Nicola Lombardo.

Napoli head of communications Nicola Lombardo has insisted that Gonzalo Higuain has not asked to leave the Italian outfit this summer amid talk of interest from Juventus.

The 28-year-old has a £78m release clause written into his current contract and it has recently been claimed that Juventus are prepared to meet the striker's buy-out in order to complete a deal this summer.

Arsenal have also been linked with a move for the Argentina international, who according to a number of reports is keen to leave Naples before the start of the new season.

Lombardo, however, has insisted that Higuain "never said he wanted to leave" and the Serie A side expect the forward to return to pre-season training on July 25.

"Gonzalo never said he wanted to leave," Lombardo said at a Q&A with supporters at the club's training base in Dimaro. "Juve have never asked for him and [president] Aurelio De Laurentiis does not want to sell him. We are talking about rumours that are fuelled by the press, who write story upon story. But he will be here in Dimaro to start pre-season on July 25."

Higuain, who has two years left to run on his Napoli deal, set a new Serie A scoring record last season when he hit 36 league goals in a single campaign.