/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/49737243/531389882.0.jpg)
According to the rumour mongers, Gonzalo Higuain is looking to take the next step in his career by moving to the Premier League, and despite Liverpool’s lack of European football next season, the Reds are one of his preferred destinations. Which certainly sounds an intriguing prospect, only journalists with ties to the club say that his interest isn’t reciprocated.
Higuain’s release clause stands at an eye-watering £72M, and Napoli have made this fact publicly known in recent weeks in an attempt to warn off suitors. He might well cost less than that, of course, particularly if he is agitating for a move, but it’s hard to imagine a universe where the man who scored 38 goals in 42 games last year costs any less than £50M, and even that’s likely impossibly low.
That, it would seem, is at the root of The Liverpool Echo saying the club aren’t considering Higuain as a viable target, as while the 28-year-old’s track record can’t be argued—he has scored 91 in 146 since arriving in Italy three seasons ago—that he would be considered a bargain at £50M and could easily end up costing £60M or even £70M at the end of the day will keep most clubs away from him.
In England, the only clubs likely to even consider spending that much on a single player would be Chelsea and the Manchesters, United and City. Throw in Paris Saint-Germain and, given his time previously spent at Real Madrid and Barcelona’s overstuffed attack, you likely have a list of the only four clubs in football who might realistically go for Higuain if he wants out of Napoli.
Of course, if Higuain is determined to force a move and, for any number of reasons, those four clubs aren’t suitors, it’s not impossible to imagine a scenario where Napoli’s asking price is forced down to the point when Liverpool begin to consider moving for him. It just seems very, very unlikely, even if it’s true that the player would be interested in a move to Merseyside.