Cash-flush Liverpool could be in the market for Gonzalo Higuain

There's an interesting storm starting to brew on the transfer market right now. Liverpool just sold Raheem Sterling, a 20-year old star in the making, to Manchester City for a staggering sum of €69 million. The change comes after months of growing tension between player in club, stemming from contract negotiations that went south, and building to a mutual bridge-burning between the two parties over the last several weeks.

What does this have to do with Napoli, you ask? Well, hold on just a minute, because we're about to get to that.

You see, while Liverpool made a big splash to help their attack in the transfer market already when they added Roberto Firmino earlier this month, they still have to work on their front line, especially with Sterling no longer in the picture. While Liverpool are probably fine out wide with their current personnel, they have a lot of questions up top -- and they've been linked to Gonzalo Higuain for a long time.

Liverpool wanted Higuain before the Argentine moved to Napoli, and there were reports of them considering a move last summer as well. Now with Daniel Sturridge a big health question mark and both Divock Origi and Danny Ings an uncertain quality at their level, Liverpool would be well served to add another, more certain bet at striker. That need plus the Reds suddenly being flush with cash has created a big, loud, and fresh renewal in the Higuain rumors.

It would make sense to happen -- Liverpool need to make a statement signing to help undo the ill feelings of losing two big stars in two summers, with Sterling following Luis Suarez out the exit door. Higuain would theoretically fit the bill, just as long as they can talk Aurelio De Laurentiis down from the €90 million release clause he holds on Higuain's contract.

Of course, De Laurentiis himself may have just fueled a desire for Higuain to leave when he was heard on camera saying "I wish" that someone would buy the striker. That's unlikely at best to sit well with Pipita, and given that there's already been a fair bit of interest in him from Arsenal and Manchester United, we could soon see Higuain agitate for a move away, which almost certainly would be for something notably less than his release clause given Napoli's loss of leverage in the situation.

This is a situation that will bear close monitoring over the next few weeks, as it could develop quite quickly in one direction or another.