After seven seasons with Real Madrid in which he helped the club win three La Liga titles and the 2010-2011 Copa del Rey championship, star striker Gonzalo Higuain is set to join Italian Serie A club Napoli.
Joining former Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina as the latest editions to the Naples team, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis indicated that both players have passed their physicals and that he is excited about the opportunity to present the newest stars to the loyal Napoli fan base.
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"Higuaín and Reina have passed their medicals and will soon join the rest of the group," De Laurentiis said. "On Monday there will be a big party at the San Paolo. You will be able to get to know the new players and the new shirts."
Higuain makes the move to the Italian league by way of a five-year deal worth £34.5m, putting an end to any rumors the 25-year-old scorer would head to Arsenal after expressing his desire to leave the Bernabeu shortly after the 2012-2013 season came to an end.
In addition to putting him on a team with a prominent player such as Gonzalo Higuain after spending the last 8 seasons with Liverpool, the 30-year-old Reina is also happy to reunite with his former manager Rafa Benitez.
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"I'm happy to link up again with coach Benitez, who I knew for five years between Spain and England, and with who I have always worked very well," Reina said to Telegraph Sport.
The moves also evoked a strong level of excitement from many of the current Napoli players, including midfielder Blerim Dzemaili, who told Euro News that anytime players leave a historic club like Real Madrid for Napoli, a strong sense of pride is felt for the team and the league.
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"When players from Real Madrid come to Napoli, it must be a reason for pride for Napoli and the Italian league."
According to ESPN FC, Napoli was able to free up €64.5 million in spending cash from the sale of Edinson Cavani to Paris Saint Germain and even after promising to pay Benitez €60 million to head the team, De Laurentiis and company were still able to make these 2 significant moves.
Gonzalo Higuain scored well over 250 goals as a member of Real Madrid from 2007 through 2013 and his offensive capability will surely help a Napoli club build off a 2012-2013 second place finish in Serie A.
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