The Partenopei official has told interested parties Juventus and AC Milan that they will not sell their most prized possession this summer

Napoli sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli has warned the major footballing powers in the north of Italy that they will not be selling star striker Gonzalo Higuain this summer.

The Argentina international has been a big hit at the Stadio San Paolo since arriving from Real Madrid for €40 million in 2013 and the forward still has three years to run on his current contract with the Partenopei.

However, Juventus and AC Milan have both been heavily linked with a move for Higuain, who was reportedly unhappy with Napoli’s failure to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Giuntoli, though, says that Napoli have no desire to cash in on their most prized asset, revealing that his sole focus is on strengthening the squad elsewhere.

“Some Italian clubs from the north have taken an interest, but he will stay with us,” he told Sportitalia.

“Now the job is to reinforce both the midfield and defence. We want to touch the attack as little as possible.”

Giuntoli also revealed that Napoli’s talks with Torino over the possible signing of Italy international Matteo Darmian are progressing well and could eventually lead to a player-plus-cash deal for the full-back.

“We’re speaking with Torino,” he added. “Our players Jorginho and Omar El Kaddouri could be of interest to them. We’ll see.”