Liverpool Transfer News: Gonzalo Higuain Pursuit Ended for Reds and Arsenal

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has ended any lingering doubts about the future of reported Liverpool target Gonzalo Higuain, insisting there is “absolutely no chance” that the forward is going anywhere.  

The Partenopei chief was speaking with Sport Mediaset (h/t Paul Gorst of Metro) and pulled no punches when addressing rumours the Argentina international could be on the move:

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There is absolutely no chance that Higuain will leave. Gonzalo is a Napoli player. La Gazzetta [Dello Sport] would write one day that I was selling him for €40m, the next €50m, another €60m, but there is a precise clause.

Higuain played in the Copa America, he has the right to a certain number of days off, but he knows there’s a new coach and now it’s his turn to do his duty.

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Riccardo De Luca/Associated Press

The Reds’ longstanding interest in the player is noted in the piece by Gorst, while Alex Harris of the Daily Star writes that the Gunners are also interested in signing the striker. But it seems that even though Napoli and Higuain were unable to qualify for the Champions League last season, the 27-year-old won’t be going anywhere for the time being.

It’s easy to see why so many illustrious names have been linked with the striker, per WhoScored.com:

But as good an acquisition as the forward would have been, Liverpool’s interest has never manifested into something tangible. Their pursuit of Juventus striker Fernando Llorente may be another matter entirely, though.

Massimo Pinca/Associated Press

David Amoyal of GianlucaDiMarzio.com writes that both the Reds and Real Madrid have “entered the race” for the 30-year-old, who has fallen out of favour with the Bianconeri. Here’s a look at why some of European football’s biggest names are interested in getting the player on board:

John Cross of the Daily Mirror (via Lee Thomas-Mason of Metro) notes that Liverpool have been chasing Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke, but they are reluctant to trigger a £32.5 million release clause in the player’s contract. Llorente could potentially represent a cheaper alternative if Red boss Brendan Rodgers is looking to add a physical presence up front.

Massimo Pinca/Associated Press

Llorente was rated as one of the most exciting strikers in La Liga during his time at Athletic Club, but as we can see here, courtesy of WhoScored.com’s Ben McAleer, the forward has been unable to scale similar heights in Bianconeri colours:

There is a downside to this potential deal. After all, Llorente is approaching the twilight of his career, and unlike Benteke, he’s not accustomed to the robust nature of the English game. Additionally, with Real Madrid and Tottenham also reportedly interested in the Spanish international, Liverpool will face plenty of competition.

But options seem to be shortening for the Reds as they look to add some quality to their front line. Mario Gomez was linked with a move to Merseyside recently, with Eurosport (h/t James Whaling of the Daily Mirror) claiming Liverpool are in “pole position” to sign the veteran forward. But Amoyal writes that he’s off to Besiktas.

Miguel Angel Morenatti/Associated Press

Bleacher Report’s Matteo Bonetti doesn’t think the German international would be an ideal fit for the Premier League:

With Higuain clearly not an option and Rodgers seemingly in the hunt for a target man, Liverpool, at this juncture, would be better off paying the money for Benteke. The Belgian is young, has proven himself in the Premier League and would be a much better fit than players like Gomez and Llorente.

Should Rodgers land an orthodox No. 9, it’ll be intriguing to see the tactical implications a player of this style would have on the Liverpool team. But if Benteke, Llorente or Gomez were to eventually rock up at Anfield, there’s no doubt a shift in emphasis would be required if the Reds faithful were to see the best of their new forward.