Juventus launch audacious players-plus-cash move for €94.5m Arsenal target

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Juventus are reportedly set to step up their pursuit of Napoli forward Gonzalo Higuain with a monster offer to come close to meeting his €94.5m release clause.

In what would be a stunning move, the Bianconeri are looking to test the resolve of their Serie A rivals with a bid that could arguably make them consider negotiating a deal.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Juve are gathering significant funds through the sales of Alvaro Morata, Simone Zaza and potentially Roberto Pereyra to Napoli, which will allow them to move closer to satisfying the release clause.

While Jonathan Lemina is also likely to leave the club this summer, they have the foundations to make a bid but it will take more than that to offer a deal that the Partenopei are likely to accept.

In turn, Juve are set to offer players in the deal too with Pereyra, Rolando Mandragora and Daniele Rugani all noted in the report as possibly being included in the offer amongst others.

Whether or not it’s enough to convince Napoli to do business with their Scudetto rivals remains to be seen, but it will certainly be a game-changing move for Serie A if the Argentine international follows Miralem Pjanic and makes the move to Turin.

Having taken one of Roma’s best players, were Juve to move for Higuain too, it would be another major move for the Turin giants while simultaneously weakening a direct rival.

As noted by Gazzetta, Arsenal are also keen on Higuain and have offered €60m plus Olivier Giroud, and there is a natural sense in the Napoli camp that they would rather sell abroad if they are forced into that position if Higuain wants to leave this summer.

The former Real Madrid striker isn’t expected to sign a new contract with the club, which in turn could force their hand and admit defeat in their bid to keep him at the San Paolo long-term.

With the money and players that Juve could offer, it would seem like a difficult deal to turn down for a 28-year-old. However, having scored 36 goals in 35 Serie A appearances last season, his absence will be a bitter blow for the club, especially if they have to come up against him moving forward.

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