Gonzalo Higuain's Brother Opens Up on AS Roma Transfer Rumours, Juventus Future

Gonzalo Higuain's brother and agent has dismissed reports the striker could join AS Roma from Juventus during the summer transfer window.

Nicola Higuain took to Twitter (h/t Football Italia) to suggest his brother will not leave Turin and will see his two-year contract honoured: "The only Italian club Higuain will play for is Juventus. He has two years left on his contract and it will be respected. Good Sunday to everyone."

According to Football Italia, there were rumours Juventus could use Pipita to land Roma starlet Nicolo Zaniolo in a swap deal. The two clubs are on the verge of pulling off a similar deal for Luca Pellegrini and Leonardo Spinazzola:

The 31-year-old Higuain has been on the books at Juventus since 2016, but he spent the 2018-19 campaign out on loan. He initially joined AC Milan before reuniting with Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea in January.

The two had worked together at Napoli, where Higuain equalled Italy's all-time single-season scoring record, bagging 36 goals in the 2015-16 season. Sarri will be in charge of Juventus next season, so the two could link up again at the Allianz Stadium.

Higuain is coming off a poor season, however, and Il Tempo, the Corriere dello Sport and Tuttosport (h/t Football Italia) all report he's not in the club's plans for next season.

The Argentinian's scoring numbers took a big hit last season, as he scored just five Premier League goals for Chelsea and six Serie A goals for Milan. In Europe, he found the net just twice in the UEFA Europa League.

His worst outing of the 2018-19 campaign came during the first half of the season against parent club Juventus. In that contest, he missed a penalty before getting sent off, and he was so livid his old Bianconeri team-mates had to calm him down:

Higuain's scoring output has been in a steady decline since his record-setting 2015-16 campaign, and Juventus have moved on from the veteran forward since he left on loan last summer. Cristiano Ronaldo is the team's top attacking weapon, and 19-year-old Moise Kean had a breakout campaign and is expected to take on a bigger role in 2019-20.

Higuain still has value as an ace striker, but for Juventus, his biggest impact may be on the transfer market. If he could help them land Zaniolo, it would be much more valuable to the Bianconeri, who have no need for his goals with Ronaldo in attack.