Arsenal Transfer News: Gonzalo Higuain Staying at Napoli, Latest Rumours

Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain will not be leaving the club this summer, despite reported interest from Arsenal and Bayern Munich.

That's according to the forward’s brother and agent, Nicolas, who confirmed to Radio Kiss Kiss Napoli (h/t talkSPORT) that the striker is hoping to secure Champions League football with the Serie A side next term.

“We have a contract and there's no chance of playing elsewhere, but we can't think about the Champions League now, but just about playing every game,” he said. “There are still many points to play for. When Gonzalo plays it's normal that there's a high chance of scoring goals, he's having a great season.”

According to talkSPORT, the Gunners and the German champions are “monitoring” Higuain’s situation in Naples. As we can see here, he’s having an incredible season in the iconic sky blue jersey:

Indeed, at the moment there are few finer finishers in world football. Higuain has been central to Napoli’s surge up the Serie A table and up until last weekend’s late loss to Juventus, Maurizio Sarri’s team had been leading the race for the Scudetto; they remain in contention for the title and certainly for a spot in the Champions League next season.

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As noted here by ESPN FC, there are no players in European football’s elite leagues who have found the back of the net more than him:

Needless to say, for Arsenal he’d be a fine capture. But even without these words of warning from Higuain’s sibling, it’s a deal which looked unlikely. As reported by Sid Lowe of the Guardian, the Gunners did come close to signing the forward back in 2013, but a deal ultimately fell through for the then Real Madrid man.

The point of the attack remains an area of concern for Arsenal, with debate still to be had over whether Olivier Giroud is good enough to lead the line. A player of Higuain’s calibre would certainly be an upgrade, but with the Argentine contented and Napoli flying, it seems as though he’ll be going nowhere for the time being.

Steve Bruce Wants Permanent Deals

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In Chuba Akpom and Isaac Hayden, Hull City manager Steve Bruce has two Arsenal players on loan at the moment. And he’s conceded he has slender hopes of landing the duo on permanent deals, although he is more hopeful on one than the other.

Speaking about his loan stars, including Manchester United man Nick Powell, Bruce was asked about the prospect of bringing them to the club on a longer-term basis; he admits it’d be tough to convince Arsenal to part with Akpom but is hopeful on Hayden, per Uche Amako of the Daily Express:

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Nick's only 21, he's a wonderful talent. I remember watching him play for Wigan in the Championship when he was 18 or 19 and he did very well. He's got fantastic talent and I'm not just looking at it for the next three months, I'd love to make it permanent if I could.

I’ve said the same about Isaac Hayden and I've gone on record to say I don't think it would be possible to get Chuba Akpom on a permanent. These are good young players who can thrive with what we can give them here.

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Hayden and Akpom have both been part of the Tigers squad that has surged to the top of the championship table. The former has made 14 appearances in midfield, while Akpom has featured on 26 occasions, netting three goals in the league.

As noted here by OptaJoe, Akpom, still just 20 years old, is still a streaky goalscorer, capable of long droughts but occasionally bursting into life in spectacular fashion:

Looking at the Arsenal squad, Hayden is the player the Gunners are most likely to let go. While he’s a neat and tidy central midfielder, at the moment it’s tough to see how he’ll force his way into the XI, with the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Santi Cazorla, Francis Coquelin and Mesut Ozil all battling for spots in the team as it is.

Akpom could yet have a bright future, with Arsenal still searching for a player at the point of the attack who is powerful, dynamic and capable of sticking the ball in the back of the net too. The youngster isn’t ready to fulfil that duty yet, but manager Arsene Wenger will be keeping a keen eye on his progress for the rest of the season at the KC Stadium.