Napoli's Mertens jokes that he'll slap Higuain

Dries Mertens is in no mood to give former Napoli teammate Gonzalo Higuain a hearty handshake when the two meet Saturday.

He'd rather slap him.

Napoli will meet Juventus this weekend for the first time since Higuain's infamous move to northern Italy, a €90-million transfer that incurred the wrath of the south.

Napoli supporters burned Higuain's jersey in the streets and flushed it down toilets after he signed with Juventus. President Aurelio De Laurentiis said the Argentine "betrayed" the team that gave him a chance to be a star.

Manager Maurizio Sarri, who restored Higuain's confidence following a spate of gaffes, said he didn't even receive the courtesy of a phone call.

Now it's clear the players who shared a locker room with the 28-year-old don't consider him a friend any longer.

Asked if he would play a Halloween trick on Higuain at the Juventus Stadium, Mertens responded with a laugh, "No. At most, I'll give him a slap."

Sarri added, "I'll greet him like a father does with a son who has really (ticked) him off."

Napoli supporters - who at one point anointed Higuain the heir of Diego Maradona - won't have a chance to jeer their former idol Saturday because they're barred from attending the match.

They will have to wait until Juventus travels to the San Paolo next April.

Higuain tried to extend an olive branch to his former fans and teammates in his first press conference as a Juventus player, saying that he only made the move to fulfill "personal ambitions."

With six goals in 10 Serie A appearances, he has started life in Turin on a good note.