Juventus back out of Higuain, Arsenal in?

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Juventus are not prepared to meet the £78.5m release clause for Gonzalo Higuain, their chief executive has said.

Reports on Monday indicated that Napoli will not sell the striker for anything less than that amount and Juve CEO Giuseppe Marotta says the deal is closed at present.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis had earlier described Juventus’ pursuit of the 28-year-old as a lost battle.

The club is also aware of interest in Higuain from Arsenal, but there has been no contact from the Gunners over a deal for the 28-year-old.

Higuain   who still has two years remaining on his contract ended the 2015/16 season as the top scorer in Serie A with 36 goals.

ITALY

Real Madrid have asked Paul Pogba’s agent to hold fire on any Manchester United move for French star as the Spanish giants weigh up a bid.

Arsenal look set to miss out on striker Mauro Icardi after his wife revealed that Juventus are serious contenders to secure his signature.

Carlos Bacca has told AC Milan manager Vincenzo Montella that he wants to play Champions League football next season, prompting heightened interest from Premier League clubs.

Olivier Giroud’s agent has insisted that his client is not leaving Arsenal to sign for Napoli.

AC Milan goalkeeper Michael Agazzi has joined Serie B side Cesena. The 32-year-old stopper, who spent last season on loan at Middlesbrough, reached an agreement with Cesena.

ENGLAND

Leicester want £45m for Riyad Mahrez, 25, but are confident the Algeria forward will stay with the Premier League champions following France midfielder N’Golo Kante’s departure for Chelsea.

Manchester United are looking to hold formal talks with Juventus on Tuesday over their proposed move for Paul Pogba. United are expected to open with an offer of around £86million for the France international though Juventus maintain he is not for sale.

The club could also delay announcing their squad numbers for the new season until they have completed the signing  of the  Juventus  midfielder.

Arsenal are planning to sign two defensive midfielders with Manchester City’s Jason Denayer and Borussia Dortmund’s Matthias Ginter being the targets. The gunners have had a £2m bid accepted for Bolton and England Under-21 defender Rob Holding.

Diego Costa has not asked to leave Chelsea and the Spain striker is expected to stay at Stamford Bridge this summer. Meanwhile, new Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has been in daily contact with Real Madrid forward Alvaro Morata, assuring him of his role were he to join the Blues this summer.

Everton manager Ronald Koeman is targeting midfielder Wiliam Carvalho of Sporting Lisbon with the club demanding £30m.

Newcastle’s Moussa Sissoko says Premier League move is his priority.

Georges-Kevin Nkoudou will undergo a medical at Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday ahead of a £10.8 million transfer from Marseille.

SPAIN

Atletico Madrid President Enrique Cerezo has denied saying quotes attributed to him that his club is “close” to signing Diego Costa from Chelsea.

Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane admits his squad size makes James Rodriguez’s future at Spanish giants ‘complicated’.

Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Chelsea have all made offers for Valencia’s £54m-rated Portugal midfielder Andre Gomes.

GERMANY

Manchester United defender Guillermo Varela has agreed a loan move to Eintracht Frankfurt.

Wolfsburg forward Andre  Schurrle linked with a move to Borrusia Dortmund.

Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has said the club  is  yet to reached an agreement with either Bayern Munich and Mario Gotze over the Germany international’s return.

Sources: DailyMail, BBC, SkySports, soccernet.com, The Guardian, football365.com