Gonzalo Higuain reportedly agrees terms with Juventus, forcing Napoli showdown

A stunning report is making the rounds in Italy, with multiple high-profile outlets reporting that Gonzalo Higuain has agreed personal terms with a big club ahead of a potential transfer -- and that club is Juventus.

WHAT?!

According to Sky Sport Italia, Mediaset, and a host of other sources, Higuain agreed to a contract worth €7.5 million per season with the many-times defending champion Juventus -- an amount eerily similar to what it was reported that Napoli offered him on Wednesday. The reports indicate that Juventus have yet to make a formal offer to Napoli, but that Higuain's brother-slash-agent had permission to seek out a transfer and work on personal terms to help speed the process along.

The reports vary somewhat on what Juventus' offer would be, but €75 million plus Roberto Pereyra seems to be the closest comparison across the board, with some outlets indicating that Juventus might be willing to trigger Higuain's €94 million release clause.

They would have to do that to get a move done, because there is no way that Aurelio De Laurentiis would accept anything else from Juventus. He has a policy against selling good players to direct rivals, and Higuain going to Juventus would certainly qualify.

Beyond that, though -- this just feels like a betrayal by Higuain. Him wanting out and letting his brother trash the club is one thing. If he wants to leave, whatever -- just don't go to a direct, major competitive rival. That's beyond disrespectful to the club, for everything they've done for him, and it's a giant middle finger to the fans. Just this step of agreeing terms, if the reports are true, is enough to destroy his reputation among the fanbase forever.

There's much more to say, but it requires a cooler head. Until later, then.