The Argentina international says he took little time in deciding to move to Naples, despite interest from Arsenal for much of the summer
Gonzalo Higuain has revealed that Diego Maradona’s legacy at Napoli played a big part in his decision to join the club.
The 25-year-old moved to the Partenopei from Real Madrid in July for a reported €40 million fee, having been tipped to sign for Premier League side Arsenal for much of the summer.
But Higuain insists he was certain of his destination as soon as he heard of the interest from Naples, while citing the influenceof Maradona as a major reason behind his choice of club.
“The president (Aurelio De Laurentiis) and (Rafael) Benitez took very little time to convince me, I spoke with my Argentine friends who have been to Naples and they told me beautiful things about the city and fans,” he said.
“In this city the devotion to Maradona is huge, I have felt the affection of the fans since my arrival. I chose Naples together with my family because I like the challenge and I find it inspiring.”
The Argentina striker will be tasked with filling the boots of Edinson Cavani, who moved to Paris Saint-Germain in a €60 million move, but remains entirely focused on challenging Juventus for the Serie A title rather than emulating the goalscoring feats of the Uruguay star.
“We want to fight for everything, we have a great team and a great manager. We know that Juventus are favourites for the Scudetto but we can achieve this objective.”