Juventus complete record-breaking Higuain deal

Published July 27, 2016
Higuain will be expected to partner fellow Argentina striker Paulo Dybala, who in his maiden season with Juventus was their top scorer with 19 league goals. — AFP/File
Higuain will be expected to partner fellow Argentina striker Paulo Dybala, who in his maiden season with Juventus was their top scorer with 19 league goals. — AFP/File

MILAN: Gonzalo Higuain completed his move to Juventus after the Italian champions reportedly agreed to meet his 94.7m euros ($104m) buyout clause to wrest the Argentine striker from Napoli on Tuesday.

In what could become the biggest ever transfer between Serie A clubs, Higuain’s move to Turin was published on the ‘transfers’ section of the official Serie A website.

Napoli had slapped a 94.7m euros buyout clause on Higuain after the striker hit a record 36 goals in the league last season.

But after weeks of negotiations, Juventus finally buckled to capture the 28-year-old striker whom they believe can make the difference between success and failure in the Champions League in the coming seasons.

He is reported to have signed a four-year contract with the Turin giants.

Reports on Tuesday said Juve CEO, Beppe Marotta, had negotiated with Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis to pay the transfer fee over two installments.

After leaving the offices of Serie A, Marotta gave no details when asked by waiting media but confirmed the move when he said: “We’ve deposited Higuain’s contract (with league officials). We’ve concluded everything.”

Higuain will be expected to partner fellow Argentina striker Paulo Dybala, who in his maiden season with Juventus was their top scorer with 19 league goals, when the club return from their pre-season tour of Australia.

The transfer of Higuain, who cost Napoli 40m euros when he arrived from Real Madrid in 2013, could now spark a succession of other, high-profile transfers.

Italian media reports have claimed Juventus would sign Higuain if they convinced Manchester United to meet their asking price of 125m euros for Paul Pogba.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2016

Opinion

Editorial

Anti-women state
Updated 25 Nov, 2024

Anti-women state

GLOBALLY, women are tormented by the worst tools of exploitation: rape, sexual abuse, GBV, IPV, and more are among...
IT sector concerns
25 Nov, 2024

IT sector concerns

PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s ambitious plan to increase Pakistan’s IT exports from $3.2bn to $25bn in the ...
Israel’s war crimes
25 Nov, 2024

Israel’s war crimes

WHILE some powerful states are shielding Israel from censure, the court of global opinion is quite clear: there is...
Short-changed?
Updated 24 Nov, 2024

Short-changed?

As nations continue to argue, the international community must recognise that climate finance is not merely about numbers.
Overblown ‘threat’
24 Nov, 2024

Overblown ‘threat’

ON the eve of the PTI’s ‘do or die’ protest in the federal capital, there seemed to be little evidence of the...
Exclusive politics
24 Nov, 2024

Exclusive politics

THERE has been a gradual erasure of the voices of most marginalised groups from Pakistan’s mainstream political...