Napoli‘s Gonzalo Higuain is expected to leave his current club during the upcoming summer transfer window, and according to the latest rumours, Arsenal will be among the clubs vying for his services.

Squawka’s Oisin Fahim references reports from the Daily Mirror and Metro, claiming the Argentine international is “certain” to leave Napoli after the Partenopei missed out on qualification for the UEFA Champions League. And while Manchester United are the front-runners to land his signature, AS Roma and the Gunners are also keeping an eye on the situation:

Higuain has been strongly linked with a move away from San Paolo in recent weeks with many suitors vying for his signature.

Serie A side Roma are keen on the player, as per the aforementioned source, whilst Premier League rivals Arsenal are also said to be monitoring his situation, according to the Metro.

Italian football legend Fabio Cannavaro thinks the 27-year-old will stay, as he told Il Mattino (h/t Football Italia), but he’s certainly in the minority. Napoli are in turmoil after missing out on the Champions League and losing manager Rafa Benitez, and big changes are expected at the Sao Paulo.

Higuain moved to Napoli from Real Madrid in 2013, and while he’s been productive during his time in Serie A―18 goals last season, per Fahim―he’s no longer regarded as the world-class striker who led the charge for Los Blancos.

He had a disastrous 2014 World Cup with Argentina and has failed to elevate his play for the national team since then, to the point where Spanish football blogger Rafael Hernandez couldn’t understand why he made the squad for the 2015 Copa America over Inter Milan‘s Mauro Icardi:

Higuain isn’t a scrub―he led Napoli in scoring in each of the past two seasons for a reason, and it’s no stretch to assume he would instantly become Arsenal’s most prolific striker should he make the move to the Emirates.

But Napoli will be expecting a fee worthy of a world-class forward, or they won’t part with their biggest star. And given the absurd transfer fees we sometimes see in this day and age―more on that later―Higuain may not be worth the gargantuan fee Napoli will demand.

For a club like Arsenal, who traditionally only spend big on players who come with few question marks, an investment in Higuain would be out of the ordinary. The Gunners could use a forward whose biggest strength is scoring goals, and the Argentina international isn’t scoring at a higher rate than Olivier Giroud, who is a lot more versatile.

Unless the Partenopei are willing to sell for significantly less than his reported buyout fee―£72 million, according to Gazzetta dello Sport (via ITV)―a move to north London seems highly unlikely.

 

£30 Million Price Tag for Saido Berahino

Speaking of unlikely moves and absurd transfer fees, the Daily Star‘s Steve Brenner reports West Bromwich have placed an astonishing £30 million price tag on Saido Berahino, who seems desperate to leave the club but still has two years left on his contract.

The report comes just one day after former England international Rio Ferdinand took to Twitter to complain about the ridiculous transfer fees being tossed around for young English talent, and it seems West Brom were paying attention:

There’s no denying the 21-year-old is a talented player, scoring 14 Premier League goals last season―via WhoScored―and impressing with a nice blend of athleticism and finishing ability. He also led England’s under-21 team in goals, scoring an incredible 10 in the same amount of matches, per WhoScored.

Clearly, he’s worth a significant investment based on what he has shown during his short career and his obvious potential. But £30 million? As Ferdinand suggested, the likes of Sergio Aguero and Alexis Sanchez didn’t cost that much more, and both were established star players before they moved to the Premier League.

Not everyone disagrees with West Brom‘s valuation of their star striker, mind you. Michael Graham of the Chronicle believes the fans’ reaction to the Baggies’ reported asking price is a bit hypocritical:

West Brom have every right to try to get as much cash as they can for Berahino‘s services, but given the player’s apparent desire to leave the Hawthorns, it’s unlikely any top club will be willing to spend that kind of money on a disgruntled youngster with just the single productive Premier League season under his belt.

This transfer saga looks like it may not get resolved until late August, but don’t expect any club to pay that kind of cash for his services. West Brom may be able to net anywhere between £20 and £25 million for his services, and such a fee would already be more than fair for Berahino.

 

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