According to Télam, the National News Agency of Argentina, Gonzalo Higuaín will travel to London today to sign a three-year contract with Arsenal, as revealed by the player’s father and manager, Jorge.
Arsenal showing real desire to sign Higuaín above competing clubs
"We got permission from Real Madrid to negotiate face to face with Arsenal and luckily soon I see my son in the Premier League" said Jorge Higuaín. This seems a little premature, considering Arsenal’s unwillingness to meet Real Madrid’s £25.5m asking price, hoping to secure the deal for around £21m.
Despite this apparent stalemate, the Metro report that the two clubs have reached an agreement of £23m for Higuaín, therefore allowing the player to travel to London to sign a reported £100,000/week deal, matching that of Theo Walcott and Lukas Podolski.
There was thought to be competition from Juventus and Manchester City for Higuaín’s signature, however with Juve’s capture of Carlos Tevez, and City’s continued pursuit of Napoli’s Edinson Cavani, Arsenal seem the perfect destination for the disillusioned Madrid star.
The news will come as music to many Arsenal fan’s ears, who have been longing for a talismanic striker in the mould of Robin van Persie, something the club had to go without last season.
What will Higuaín bring to Arsenal?
Although Olivier Giroud performed well in his first season in English football, Gonzalo Higuaín will bring a new level of attacking quality to Arsenal’s frontline. He is thought of as the most clinical striker in Europe’s top four leagues, seeming a bargain for the North London club.
The player will significantly improve an Arsenal offence crying out for a proven central striker to help players such as Theo Walcott and Lukas Podolski thrive. The thought of Higuaín starting up front with Santi Cazorla pulling the strings in attack is something for Arsenal fans to get genuinely excited about.
A summer of activity around the club
Higuaín looks likely to become Arsene Wenger’s second signing of the summer transfer window, after French U-20 striker Yaya Sanogo joined on a free transfer from Auxerre on Monday.
With two potential signings in the first week of the transfer window, it looks to be a busy summer for Arsenal, with Everton’s Marouane Fellaini and QPR’s Julio Cesar also strongly linked with the club.
Clearly the Arsenal board feel now is the perfect time to flex their new financial firepower in order to further strengthen their title ambitions.
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