Despite having two years left, the agent of Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain has announced the Argentine will not renew his contract.
The 28-year-old had his most prolific of seasons ever last year for the Partenopei, scoring a huge 36 goals in 35 Serie A appearances, which made him top goalscorer by 17 goals, ahead of Paulo Dybala.
It would be expected that Napoli would want to retain his services for as long as possible, however Higuain’s brother and agent, Nicolas Higuain, told Radio Marca that he will be on the move when his contract terminates.
“The president of Napoli has the right to take the money which would match the sale clause in his contract and we have the right not to renew [the contract],” he said.
Talks of a promising team when Higuain moved to Italy from Real Madrid in 2013 appeared to be the key factor for his transfer, however a failure to find that success looks likely to be the main reason for his departure.
“Gonzalo moved from Real Madrid for a new project; he came to the club with great enthusiasm,” the player’s brother added.
“There was Rafael Benitez [as coach], there was talk of structural improvement and a fight against Juventus,” he added.
“In my opinion, however, the project isn’t solely up to Gonzalo. Napoli have given him a lot and vice-versa, but the club is currently below its expectations.”
Discussing his brother’s eventual destination following his inevitable departure from the side, Higuain said there are a few coaches who could become his coach in the near future, one of which is Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone.
“Simeone is a great coach, in the last three years he has reached two Champions League finals despite not having a big budget,” he said. “He is among the three or four coaches who are the best in the world.
“We will see if in the future Higuain will be coached by [Pep] Guardiola, [Antonio] Conte or Simeone.”
