Juventus have signed Gonzalo Higuaín from Napoli in a deal worth €90m (£75.3m).
The fee places Higuaín behind only the Real Madrid pair Gareth Bale (£85m) and Cristiano Ronaldo (£80m) on the list of biggest trabsfers of all time. The move is widely seen as clearing the path for Juve midfielder, Paul Pogba, to join Manchester United.
A statement on juventus.com read: “Juventus can today confirm it has purchased the registration rights of Gonzalo Higuaín for €90m, payable in two financial years. The player has agreed a five-year contract.”
The Argentina striker scored 36 goals in 35 Serie A games last season as Napoli finished second in the table, nine points behind champions Juve. It was only the second time this century a player had scored more than 30 goals in a Serie A season, following Luca Toni’s tally of 31 for Fiorentina in 2005-06.
The 28-year-old has won 63 caps for Argentina since his debut in 2009, scoring 32 goals and helping them reach the 2014 World Cup final and in the Copa America final this year and last – they were beaten on all three occasions.
Higuain joined Juventus from Real Madrid, where he scored 107 goals in six and a half seasons and helped the Spanish side win three league titles and the 2011 Copa del Rey. He moved on to Napoli in 2013 and won the Coppa Italia in 2014.
Juventus said the signing of Higuaín does not mean they will be forced to sell Pogba, but United remain hopeful of signing the French midfielder in what will be a world record fee.
