Arsenal Transfer News: Gonzalo Higuain Rumours Grow, Latest on Gabriel Paulista

Napoli are reportedly resigned to the possibility of losing Gonzalo Higuain—news that will be a major boost to Arsenal, who apparently preserve a longstanding interest in the Argentina striker.

According to Italian newspaper Il Mattino (h/t Jamie Anderson of the Daily Express), the former Real Madrid striker is set for a big-money swoop from either the Gunners or Liverpool. 

Here’s a look at what Higuain could offer:

Tim Ireland/Associated Press

Arsenal missed out on signing Higuain to the Partenopei when he left the Spanish capital, so their potential interest in the 27-year-old is understandable. Although there are facets of Arsene Wenger’s squad that are in much more pertinent need of bolstering, Higuain is a forward who would be an upgrade on the likes of Olivier Giroud and Danny Welbeck.

Higuain has claimed to be happy in Naples, per Anderson’s piece, but if the team do fail to qualify for the Champions League this season you suspect their star forward will weigh up his options. According to the aforementioned piece, Napoli have cited Porto's Jackson Martinez as a contingency plan.

Alvaro Barrientos/Associated Press

But as we can see here, courtesy of WhoScored, the Argentinian is going to be key to the team’s hopes this season:

With that in mind, a summer deal looks as though it’ll be the most likely course of action should Arsenal wish to reignite their pursuit of the player. Indeed, in the immediacy, Wenger rightly seems beset on bolstering his defensive options and has spoken openly about the prospect of signing Villarreal’s Gabriel Paulista.

Tom Dulat/Getty Images

In his press conference prior to the Gunners’ trip on Sunday to Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup, the Frenchman admitted that talks are progressing well regarding a £15 million deal, per Kevin Palmer of ESPN:

Bleacher Report’s James McNicholas recently ran the rule over the 24-year-old defender:

Sadly, for the Arsenal faithful, there could be a snag to prevent the Brazilian from joining in the form of a work permit. Jeremy Wilson of the Daily Telegraph explains why the fee paid for the player could ultimately be crucial to whether Arsenal get their man in the current window:

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With Villarreal demanding that a £15.25 million release clause is met, Arsenal may well still have to go beyond their initial suggestion of £6 million up front rising to around £10 million to get the deal done.

Yet the £10 million threshold may become significant as, under new Football Association proposals that could take affect this summer, any new player would receive a work permit at that price or above.

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As noted by Sami Mokbel of the Mail Online, there is a system by which the Londoners could argue that Paulista is an “exceptional talent” and consequentially be granted a permit. It’s a route that Leicester City went down in order to sign Croatian striker Andrej Kramaric despite the fact he’s only turned out four times for his country.

Michael Regan/Getty Images

Paulista would add some capable depth to the centre-back position for the Gunners. He’s a technical player who has blossomed under the tutelage of Marcelino this season, but he has an abrasive, robust style of defending to complement his fundamental footballing abilities. On paper, he looks like the perfect fit for the Gunners and the Premier League.

For £10 million upfront, Arsenal would be getting a defender who can not only be a long-term fixture in the current setup but a player who can lend an immediate hand to their Premier League and domestic cup commitments. Squabbling over a meagre £4 million and eventually missing out on his signature would represent a serious lapse in judgement.