Juventus have signed Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain from Napoli for €90 million, the third highest transfer fee ever paid.
“I can confirm that the contract has been deposited with the League and the deal has been done,” Napoli spokesman Nicola Lombardi told Reuters yesterday, adding that the fee will be paid in two installments.
The Turin-based club triggered the release clause for the 28-year-old, who still had two years to run on his contract, Napoli added later in a statement.
Higuain’s transfer fee is the third highest paid, after Gareth Bale moved to Real Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur for €100 million in 2013 and Cristiano Ronaldo joined the Spaniards from Manchester United for €94 million in 2009.
Last season, Higuain scored a record 36 Serie A goals in 35 games for Napoli, who finished runners-up as Juventus won a fifth consecutive title. He joined Napoli in 2013 after spending six years at Real.
The news that he was poised to join Juventus caused anguish among Napoli fans, who gathered in Naples city centre on Saturday to tear up pictures of the Argentine and set fire to replicas of his number nine shirt.
According to reports in the Italian media, Juve officials were at the Lega Calcio’s base in the afternoon in order to register Higuain’s contract with Italian football’s governing body.
During the day it also emerged that Juventus had tried to insert some of their own players into the deal, in a bid to lower Napoli’s asking price.
Defender Daniele Rugani was mentioned among those players who could be offloaded to Napoli by the Turin giants. However, the defender dismissed the reports linking him with the move.
Speaking during Juve’s pre-season tour of Australia, the 21-year-old said that he was only focusing on his football.
“I haven’t read, nor have I heard of the rumours surrounding my future,” Rugani told Sky Sport.
“I’m thinking about getting in the best possible condition and giving the coach a selection headache. As far as the rest goes, I know nothing.”
Icardi option
With Napoli eager to find a suitable replacement for Higuain, it was also reported that the southern club were willing to offer €45 million for Inter’s Mauro Icardi who is requesting a transfer unless he gets a better contract.
Sky Italia said, however, that Inter had rejected Napoli’s bid for their striker.
Meanwhile, Juventus beat English side Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 in their pre-season friendly at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, yesterday.
Spurs, who travelled to Australia without Harry Kane and the remainder of their England contingent but gave starts to new signings Victor Wanyama and Vincent Janssen, trailed 2-0 at half-time.
Dominic Ball was dispossessed in the sixth minute and the mistake was immediately punished when Paulo Dybala struck the opener.
Another error – this time a poorly-cleared corner – enabled new signing Medhi Benatia to nod home the second shortly after.
It was then Juve’s turn to get caught in midfield and Erik Lamela reacted with a fine finish into the bottom-right corner.
At the end of the match, coach Massimiliano Allegri again refused to be drawn on Juve’s transfer market.
Besides Higuain, he was also questioned about speculation linking midfielder Paul Pogba with a move to Manchester United.
“It’s an issue I don’t want to talk about,” Allegri told reporters.
“I don’t set prices for players, it is the transfer market that decides them. Everybody has their value. Some are high, some are low.”
Pogba is yet to return for pre-season, having recently suffered defeat in the final of Euro 2016 with France’s national team.