clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

De Laurentiis on potential Gonzalo Higuain exit: 'I wish!"

Napoli's owner spoke a little too frankly to fans at the team's first public training session of the summer at their Dimaro retreat.

Paolo Bruno/Getty Images

Sometimes, Aurelio De Laurentiis and his propensity to talk to anyone at any time about anything is entertaining, and even useful from a journalistic perspective. Sometimes, though, especially as a fan, you read about something he said and really wish that for once the outspoken owner had just kept quiet.

During and after the first public training session of the summer for Napoli at their Dimaro retreat in northern Italy, De Laurentiis spent some time with fans, taking pictures and answering questions. Most things were pretty benign -- but one fan asked ADL if someone was going to buy Gonzalo Higuain, who is wildly out of favor in the fanbase right now and rumored to be hotly pursued in the transfer market.

De Laurentiis' response? "I wish! With €90 million I’d buy eight players!"

Oi.

It's not a great look for De Laurentiis to be talking down on one of his players like that. Higuain is still on vacation after his spell with Argentina at the Copa America, but you can imagine that he's not going to be happy when he finds out De Laurentiis said that. This has the potential to be the start of an ugly breakup -- and you can guarantee that if it is, Napoli won't get anywhere near €90 million for him.