Gonzalo Higuain was due back from his holiday on Monday and Napoli were expecting him to report for duty at their high-altitude training camp in Dimaro. Last Friday, though, and unbeknownst to Napoli, he flew to Madrid, where he checked into a clinic called la Moraleja and underwent a medical for Juventus. On Thursday afternoon he will be unveiled at the J Stadium after the Italian champions activated his €90 million release clause.
The first Napoli apparently heard of the potential deal was on Saturday morning when Andrea Chiavelli, the club secretary, got a phone call.