Arsenal may need to break their record transfer fee to land Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuaín this summer.

It was reported on Tuesday that the Premier League giants would need to match the Argentines’s full buy-out clause of €94 million (£80m) to acquire their target.

Two days later and Sky Sports are reporting that Arsenal are still interested in signing Higuaín who scored a Serie A record 36 goals last season helping his side to finish runners-up behind Juventus.

The report does state that no official has been made by Arsenal but that club officials have been in contact with the player’s brother who acts as his agent.

Arsenal paid £38.2 million for Mesut Özil in 2013, meaning the North London club would need to more than double their record transfer to land Gonzalo Higuaín if reports earlier this week are true.

It has also been reported that Olivier Giroud could be used as a makeweight as part of the deal, for which the French striker’s agent said his client would be happy to move to Naples:

Mickael Manuello has been quoted by Sky Sports as saying:

“There is no fear in Olivier going to Napoli, it is a magnificent city.

“In Campania, my client would lead a wonderful life, not to mention that the type of game orchestrated by Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri could enhance the quality of a centre-forward like him.”

Arsène Wenger is expected to sign a new striker this summer to add to the competition to Olivier Giroud and Danny Welbeck up front and Gonzalo Higuaín appears to be the manager’s prime target.

At 28 years of age and with a reported substantially high transfer fee, Higuaín isn’t one of your typical Wenger targets.  However, the Gunners boss is now in the final year of his current deal at the Emirates and may be feeling additional pressure of sustaining a Premier League title challenge next season.

Gonzalo Higuaín would certainly be a fantastic sign for any club if they were able to lure him away from Napoli this summer.