Arsenal have been confirmed to be in ‘advanced talks’ to sign Gonzalo Higuain, his agent confirmed. However he also confirmed that no deal was done yet, but said that Juventus and Arsenal had tabled ‘strong offers’ for the striker.
Arsenal’s interest in Higuain has been widely reported, but nothing this concrete has hit the papers yet. The Mail on Sunday report these quotes from Higuain’s father, and agent, Jorge:
‘Nothing has been signed yet (with Arsenal), but I can assure you there are advanced talks between the clubs.
Jorge added that rumours of terms being agreed between club and player were wide of the mark:
‘We wouldn’t arrange any personal contract before the clubs agree for the transfer. I’m aware Arsenal has made a strong offer, as well as Juventus.’
In 53 La Liga starts (and 27 sub apps) over the past three seasons, Higuain has managed to net 48 goals and impress along the way. The reason he has featured so often from the bench is due to the regular rotation with Karim Benzema. A rotation system which won them the league in 2011/12. Higuain began his career for River Plate, a breeding ground for young Argentinian talent. Arsene Wenger was thought to be interested in the player before he moved to Madrid in 2007.
Meanwhile January signing Nacho Monreal has told media he’d love to see Higuain arrive and says the club are working on ‘good signings’ this summer:
“I would love it. Higuain is a part of football, and I always loved how he played for Real Madrid. He is a scorer and would be a reinforcement that we could really use,”
“Arsenal are one of the biggest teams in England and this summer they are working towards good signings to break that [trophy-less] streak.”
Higuain, 25 has spent six years in Madrid and Juventus were seen as firm favourites to sign the Argentinian. Reports in Turin suggest that the Italian side are closing in on the signing of Gonzalo’s International team-mate Carlos Tevez in a £8million deal.