Napoli legend Diego Maradona believes the time has come for his former club to sell Gonzalo Higuain, but has surprisingly picked out Harry Kane to be his successor.
The Partenopei saw their Serie A title bid come to a disappointing end this week, as their loss to Roma on Monday afternoon ensured that Juventus picked up their fifth consecutive Scudetto.
Despite setting the pace for much of the middle part of the season, Napoli ultimately came up short and that has led to questions over how they can strengthen and come again next year.
Maradona has delivered a perhaps slightly surprising analysis, as he believes that after scoring 30 goals so far this season, Higuain could move on as essentially there isn’t much more he can do on a personal level to help the club reach the top as he’ll struggle to match his achievements this year.
“I think ‘Pipita’ [Higuain] has already done the best he can for Napoli and he’s not going to have another season like this one,” Maradona told Naples TV channel Piuenne.
“We saw it also with [Ezequiel] Lavezzi. They need new faces and they need to sell Higuain for as much money as possible. Instead of Higuain, I would go for [Harry] Kane of Tottenham.”
Kane has scored 24 Premier League goals this season, and similarly to Higuain, looks set to be left disappointed as Leicester City edge closer to securing the title.
Whether or not the England international would entertain offers that would see him leave White Hart Lane is unclear, but a switch to Naples would certainly be a massive risk that could be significantly rewarding if he was interested in a new challenge abroad.
Regardless, he will likely be delighted with the endorsement from such a legend of the sport, but it remains to be seen whether or not Napoli cash in on Higuain which in turn will give them the financial strength to bolster their squad in the summer transfer market.