Just when you think it seems certain that Gonzalo Higuain will be leaving, up pop Napoli to throw a little spanner in the works.
In a story that has exploded this weekend, Napoli look set to meet with Juve on Monday to discuss the possibility of a deal. The Turin giants want to pay in two instalments, even though it means having to sell four players to raise the cash, while Napoli are adamant they don’t want to sell, and they especially do not want to sell to Juve.
A meeting would, to me, seem to be a strange way of making that point.
Anyway, most of the noise about this deal has come by way of De Laurentis’s mouth. But the Napoli president shut up long enough for his head of communications to get a few words in this weekend.
“Gonzalo never said he wanted to leave,” said, Nicola Lombardo at a Q&A with fans.
“Juve have never asked for him and (President Aurelio) De Laurentiis doesn’t want to sell him.
“It’s all the fault of the media, who like to pile story upon story. He will be here on July 25.”
25th July is the date he is set to return to training.
As excited as Arsenal fans are getting, I must keep highlighting that the club seem to be merely a sidenote in this transfer rumour at this point and there is no actual evidence that they’ve even made a bid.
‘Considering one’ is about all we’ve heard and that’s evidence of nothing.