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Inter Miami striker Gonzalo Higuain has revealed that Arsenal rejected signing him in 2013 by stating that that they could not afford him. He stated that the Gunners, however, signed Mesut Ozil a few days later for more money than him.
Higuain and Ozil played together for Real Madrid and won one La Liga title together. In 2013, Higuain ended up signing for Napoli for €39 million. In a recent interview with TyC Sports, he revealed how multiple clubs were interested in signing him, including Arsenal.
The Gunners told him they didn't have the money. However, they signed Ozil for €47 million a few days after the Argentine joined Napoli. Higuain revealed (via Infobae):
“Bayern Munich came looking for me together with Real Madrid, Ancelotti wanted me at Chelsea when I was at Real Madrid. PSG came looking for me when Leonardo (the club's sports director) and Arsenal just arrived, before going to Napoli."
He added:
"They told me that they didn't have much money, that I was very expensive and when I signed with Napoli I see after three days they bought Ozil for ($)80 million…”
Ozil turned out to be the provider-extraordinnaire at the Gunners, giving 77 assists in his tenure across 254 games. He also scored 44 goals in his time at the Emirates.
Meanwhile, Higuain went on to be highly successful at Napoli, scoring 91 goals and providing 26 assists in 146 matches in three seasons. This included a 36-goal haul in the 2015-16 Serie A season, for which he won the Capocannoneire. He also won the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana with the Gli Azzurri.
While not at the Emirates, Higuain did eventually get some Premier League experience as well. He spent six months on loan at Chelsea from Juventus in the 2018-19 season. He scored five goals in 18 matches for the Blues.
Arsenal making strong progress in signing Gabriel Jesus
As per football.london, the Gunners are closing in on Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus. The Brazilian could be the third signing for the north London club this summer and the fourth new addition to the squad.
They signed Marquinhos from Sao Paulo and Fabio Vieira from Porto this summer. They also signed Matt Turner from New England Revolution in January, who'll join them this summer.
Arsenal are also interested in Leeds United winger Raphinha and Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez.
The north London club spent around £140 million last summer but could only finish fifth in the Premier League table. It looks like they are set for another busy summer in a bid to play in the Champions League next season.
