By Steve Mitchell
Gonzalo Higuain
After two devastating seasons with Napoli, Argentinean striker Gonzalo Higuain has made no secret of the fact that without Champions League football he may look to go elsewhere. The southern Italian club missed out on a place in Europe’s top club competition despite the 27-year-old netting 18 goals last season.
His goals to games ratio is stunning having scored 35 times in 69 appearances, to justify every penny of the €37 million club President Aurelio De Laurentiis paid to Real Madrid in the summer of 2013. The coach who helped persuade Higuain to come to the San Paolo Rafa Benitez, has now returned to Spain to take up the reins at the Santiago Bernabéu but it is unlikely the player will return to his former employers.
English Premier League side Arsenal are known to be keen admirers and in recent weeks Chelsea have also shown an interest although their recent acquisition of Radamel Falcao possibly rules them out of the running. There is also the possibility that Higuain could remain in Serie A with Juventus rumoured to be keeping a close eye on proceedings.
Jackson Martinez
Currently in Chile representing his country Colombia at the 2015 Copa America finals, Jackson Martinez looked all set to join AC Milan from Portuguese side Porto but his agent denied his client had made any contact with the club. Latest reports coming out of England is that the 28-year-old is set to join Arsenal in a move thought to be in the region of £25 million.
Martinez is quite simply a goal scoring machine. Over three seasons at Porto he has accumulated 67 goals in 90 appearances and his clinical finishingis surely what Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger is looking for to complete his already highly talented squad.
There is also interest from Spain with Atlético Madrid reportedly ready to table a bid as they look to replace Mario Mandžukić who has joined Juventus.
Carlos Bacca
The Sevilla striker is grabbing all the headlines at the moment for his altercation with Neymar at the Copa America final’s,overshadowing the amazing campaign he had in the Spanish top-flight last season. The 28-year-old Colombian who joined the Spanish club from Club Brugge in Belgium for €7 million in 2013, scored 20 goals last season as his club narrowly missed out on a place in the Champions League.
The price tag put on his head is now considerably more than the price Sevilla originally paid for him with €30 million being a realistic figure. Serie A club AS Roma have been monitoring his progress throughout last season and it seems an offer is imminent. The player’s agent has denied his client has had any contact with any other club at this time but it seems inevitable that Bacca will start next season at a new location.]]>
