Liverpool have been linked with a number of expensive players over the past couple of summers. Perhaps the most unlikely of those rumors has been the ongoing "pursuit" of Napoli goal scorer Gonzalo Higuain, who has a reported £66 million release clause built into his contract.
With the striker scoring 91 goals in three seasons for his current club, he's earned well-deserved adoration and become a piece that his side have fought to hold on to.
Napoli chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis, for example, recently expressed his desire to keep Higuain at his club far into the future.
"I'm so fond of him as a man and as a player," he said. "I want [Higuain] to stay at Napoli forever."
Napoli moved closer to that goal -- and drove faint Liverpool links further away -- by reportedly re-signing the Argentinian forward to a new four-year deal, according to TyC Sports. The contract will pay out £5.3 million per season.
Unless the extension report, which has yet to be picked up by many outlets outside of Argentina, proves false, this is the end of the road for dwindling hopes that Higuain would come to Anfield this summer. It's been fun dreaming of him scoring all the goals for Jürgen Klopp this campaign to lead Liverpool back to the Champions League. Maybe next summer.