Argentina international striker Gonzalo Higuain will not leave Napoli this summer, according to club president Aurelio De Laurentiis.
Higuain has been linked with a move to the Premier League, with Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United all credited with an interest in acquiring the 27-year-old’s services.
The former Real Madrid star has three years left on his contract with Napoli and the Serie A club have no intention of letting him leave.
“There is absolutely no chance that Higuain will leave,” De Laurentiis told Italian TV station Mediaset. “Gonzalo is a Napoli player.
“I have made his (release) clause clear in order to stop the constant speculation that appears in the press. There is a precise clause.”
Napoli paid Real Madrid €40 million (Dh161m) to sign Higuain in the summer of 2013 and any potential suitors would have to splash €94.7million (Dh390m), Higuain’s release clause, to acquire the player.
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Higuain has been Napoli’s top scorer in the past two seasons. He struck 18 goals and set up seven more in 37 league appearances for Napoli during the 2014-15 campaign.
Higuain is on holiday after helping Argentina to the Copa America final earlier this month but is expected to join Napoli next week to begin work under new coach Maurizio Sarri.
“Higuain played in the Copa America he has the right to a certain number of days off,” De Laurentiis added.
Under Rafa Benitez Napoli finished fifth in Serie A in 2014-15 and will play in the Europa League next season.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are considering making an offer for Napoli full-back Faouzi Ghoulam, according to reports in Italy.
Ghoulam wasn’t always a regular last term but Arsenal are looking for cover with Kieran Gibbs regularly on the treatment table and Nacho Monreal linked with a return to La Liga. The fee metioned for Ghoulam was €10million (Dh39.5m).
