Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 8y

Gonzalo Higuain transfer to Juventus 'full of betrayal' - Napoli's De Laurentiis

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis believes that the word "betrayal" is the best way of describing Gonzalo Higuain's transfer to Juventus.

Higuain arrived in Turin on Wednesday for his first day as a Juve player after the Turin-based club agreed to pay the €90-million release clause in his contract with the Azzurri.

Not only did De Laurentiis not expect the Bianconeri to pay the fee required to release the forward from his contract with them, he admitted to his shock at Higuain's decision to leave Napoli after signing for the club from Real Madrid in 2013.

"People say that talking about betrayal is exaggerated, but I think the opposite," De Laurentiis told Il Corriere dello Sport.

"This decision is full of betrayal, and it even includes ingratitude. I never seriously thought he would leave, nor that he would cancel three years in Naples with one throw of the sponge."

Of the negotiations surrounding Serie A's record transfer, De Laurentiis added: "I would have expected a different kind of behaviour.

"It's true, there was this clause and nothing was formally incorrect, unless we want to consider their late-night medical as such, but in this unscrupulous world of football, there is not even respect of feelings."

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