The striker has set his sights on a move away from Madrid at the end of this season and Juventus are leading the race for his signature

EXCLUSIVE
By Romeo Agresti

Juventus are sitting in pole position to lure Gonzalo Higuain away from Real Madrid in the summer transfer window after reaching an agreement in principle with the Argentina international over a four-year deal worth €4.5 million per season plus bonuses.

The Serie A champions are keen to add a high-profile striker to their squad ahead of next season and had previously set their sights on Paris Saint-Germain’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

However, the Sweden international’s personal demands might prove to be too much for Juventus, prompting them to turn their attention to Higuain instead.

The 25-year-old is keen to leave Real Madrid this summer after a relatively disappointing 2012-13 campaign and general manager Jose Angel Sanchez admitted earlier this month that Higuain is likely to be on his way out.

Juventus are hopeful that an offer in the region of €25m will be enough to lure Higuain away from the Santiago Bernabeu side and have already been in touch with the striker’s representative to discuss his demands ahead of an official bid.

The former River Plate starlet has set his sights on an annual salary of €4.5m and Juventus are happy to meet his demands, Goal can reveal.

The Italian champions have already held a number of meetings with Madrid representatives in recent weeks and are ready to step up their interest ahead of the opening of the summer transfer window.

Higuain would also be open to a move to the Premier League, but none of the big teams from England have shown concrete interest in him so far.

The striker has a contract with Madrid until the summer of 2016.