Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis has revealed that Gonzalo Higuain will only leave the club this summer if his €95m release clause is met.
The Italian patron was discussing how he rejected various offers for his players last summer, which in turn has proven to be a wise move given the club’s continued pursuit of a Serie A title this season.
Nevertheless, he has welcomed anyone ‘stupid enough’ to meet their clause in Higuain’s contract, otherwise the Argentine frontman will stay in Naples for the foreseeable future.
“Some even knocked on my door for Higuain [last summer], which is why I put that clause in his contract. If someone is prepared to pay €95m for him then we’ll see. There’s always someone stupid out there willing to try,” he told reporters, according to Football Italia.
“I did not put anyone up for sale because I had a new Coach and couldn’t afford to reconstruct the team too. We had all the right ingredients for a tasty football recipe.
“We have revenue of €120m compared to €380m at Juventus, so it wasn’t easy to keep the players we’ve got.”
Higuain has responded this season by firing in 27 goals in 29 league appearances, and continues to lead the Partenopei’s charge for the title as they sit three points adrift of leaders Juventus with nine games remaining.
While their immediate focus will be on denying the Bianconeri another title, Higuain’s form this season will have certainly grabbed attention from around Europe.
However, it doesn’t appear as though De Laurentiis will be willing to discuss any deal less than the €95m release clause, which in turn suggests that either the player himself will have to push for a move if he grows unhappy or a sensational offer will have to made to prise him away from Naples.