Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain has fuelled speculation that he could join Arsenal this summer after rejecting a contract extension with the Serie A giants, Metro Sport reports.
The former Real Madrid hitman was reportedly on the verge of joining the North London outfit during the 2013 summer transfer window, but he opted for a move to Italy and has underlined his reputation as one of the most prolific strikers in European football by bagging 35 goals in just 69 league appearances for Gli Azzurri.
However, Napoli’s failure to qualify for this season’s Champions League could see the 27-year-old seek a new adventure and his agent has revealed the striker is unlikely to sign a new deal with the Italians:
“We had a meeting with the President [Aurelio De Laurentiis] in Venice 10 days ago,” Nicolas Higuain said.
“We talked about everything. He offered a one-year contract extension, however, in my opinion – and in our opinion – we’ll continue with the original contract, expiring in 2018.”
“I don’t think we’ll accept the president’s offer, because the contract isn’t that different to the one we signed before, so for us it’s not a real offer,” he added.
Gunners manager Arsene Wenger has been heavily tipped to bring in a new centre-forward this summer in a bid to end the club’s 12-year wait for a Premier League title, but it’s understood that Karim Benzema and Robert Lewandowski are preferred targets [via Telegraph Sport].
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