Napoli declare "vital" Higuain not for sale amid further Arsenal interest

Napoli and manager Maurizio Sarri have both declared striker Gonzalo Higuain to be vital and central to the club's plans, essentially issuing a hands-off warning to any interested teams -- especially Arsenal.

The English club are considered the favorites to sign Higuain, with betting odds slashed heavily reflecting the chance for such a move to happen. Of course, such odds shouldn't be considered a 100% reliable indicator that a move will happen -- bookmakers are looking to make money after all -- but they also probably wouldn't be cutting the odds like this unless they had reason to suspect that a move might happen.

Arsenal have reportedly had a €60 million bid rejected, and Napoli have publicly declared Higuain as not for sale. With Sarri seeing the Argentine as vital to his project, it will take a stunning bid to get the club to relent and give him up at this stage.

Of course, wherever Higuain winds up, be it at Napoli or elsewhere, we just have to hope that his form vastly improves from his shaky end to his Serie A season and terrible Copa America campaign. He's a terrifically talented player, but there are now serious -- and legitimate -- concerns as to just how good he is in the "clutch" of big, important moments.