Gonzalo Higuain will not sign new Napoli contract, says agent
Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain will not accept a new contract with the club, according to the player's agent (and brother) Nicolas Higuain.
Higuain has just under three years remaining in his current deal with Napoli and a massive €94-million release clause to go with it, a figure Higuain's agent says has driven a wedge between the player and the club's president, Aurelio De Laurentiis.
"This is the situation," Nicolas Higuain told radio show Closs Continental, as quoted by ESPN FC. "The president is asking for the clause to be paid to let go of Gonzalo, and we have the right to refuse to renew.
"Aurelio De Laurentiis has every right to demand the clause in his contract be paid, but my brother and I have decided not to accept a renewal.
"We'll see what happens next year with Napoli, given that his contract expires in 2018 when he turns 30."
Nicolas said Gonzalo will continue to abide by his contract but they remain unsure whether another club will be able to buy him out thereafter.
"We have a contract with Napoli and, as a great professional, Gonzalo will continue to respect it. He'll train correctly and give his all," Nicolas said.
"But it absolutely won't be renewed if things stay this way."
The Higuains' main sticking point seems to be in the level of ambition the club displayed in the 2015-16 season, having held the top spot through the first half of the campaign only to concede the title to Juventus by the end.
Since Napoli did not sign any players midway through the year, the club failed to meet its promise to compete when Gonzalo first signed, his agent said.
"We arrived at Napoli with the promise of a successful project, playing in the Champions League and winning the Scudetto, with improved facilities and a desire to grow," Nicolas said. "It wasn't right of the club to ignore those commitments."
Nicolas Higuain later told Radio Crc, according to ESPN FC: "Maybe the club is looking to bring in young prospects, but we believe they should make the effort to bring in players who can compete with Juventus, who have won the Scudetto for five years in a row.
"It seems to me that the direction the club is taking, while respectable, is not the right one to battle with Juve. You can't do that and you can't make the Champions League with youngsters.
"Gonzalo, in sporting terms, has very different ideas to the club at the moment. They still want to buy young players with potential, but we want to win!"