Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/705249
21 IT'S been reported that Napoli will not sell the striker for an- ything less than that amount and Juve chief executive Gi- useppe Marotta says the deal is closed at present. According to Sky in Italy, Napoli are also aware of inter- est in Higuain from Arsenal, but there has been no contact from the Gunners over a deal for the 28-year-old. "For now the Higuain matter is closed. I can confirm that we will not pay the clause," said Marotta. Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis had earlier de- scribed Juventus' pursuit of the 28-year-old as a "lost bat- tle". "Marotta told me that Juven- tus won't activate the €94mil- lion clause for Higuain," said De Laurentiis. "Juventus are very intelligent and they understand that they cannot do this. They know perfectly well that it is a lost battle." Higuain, who joined Napoli from Real Madrid in 2013, has two years remaining on his contract in Naples. He ended the 2015/16 season as the top scorer in Serie A with 36 goals. Sport maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 20 JULY 2016 FOOTBALL Bruce has 'informal' England talks Hull boss Steve Bruce has held "informal" talks with the Football Association about the vacant England manager's job, according to the club THE Tigers say no official ap- proach has been made by the FA and have echoed Sunderland, whose manager Sam Allardyce remains the front-runner despite developments, in calling for a swift decision. The FA is understood to be mindful of the clubs' position ahead of the new domestic cam- paign and could make an offer to its preferred candidate within days, before finalising details next week. A statement from Hull read: "The club can confirm that man- ager Steve Bruce has held infor- mal discussions regarding the England vacancy, although no official approach has been re- ceived from the FA. "We would hope to see the FA conclude their business quickly in order to avoid further specu- lation regarding Steve ahead of what is a season of huge impor- tance for the club following our return to the Premier League." Allardyce was the subject of an official approach and sub- sequently held talks with the three-man panel of FA technical director Dan Ashworth, chief ex- ecutive Martin Glenn and vice- chairman David Gill last week. He is heavy favourite for a job he came to close to landing a decade ago, but Bruce remains under consideration. Like Allardyce, he is an expe- rienced home-grown coach who has made his reputation at the lower end of the Premier League. But as a player he was a highly decorated captain of Manches- ter United and was rated as one of the finest players never to be capped by England. Eddie Howe, the 38-year-old Bournemouth manager, has also been discussed as a youthful candidate, while German great Jurgen Klinsmann appears to be the last overseas option stand- ing. The FA's interview process be- gan last week and, with a board meeting scheduled for Thurs- day, events could be building to a head. The new manager's first match will be a Wembley friendly on September 1, three days before the World Cup qualifier in Slo- vakia. Discussions with possible op- ponents are already under way and may be concluded before the managerial position is filled. Bruce has already made it clear he would jump at the chance of leading his country, telling Ra- dio Humberside: "There's no- body more patriotic than I am. "I'm honoured to be linked with it. It's the pinnacle to go and manage your country. What big- ger job in the world is there?" His coaching career began with brief assignments at Sheffield United, Huddersfield, Wigan and Crystal Palace but he put a reputation for itchy feet behind him during a largely successful six-year stay at Birmingham. He went on to manage Wigan and Sunderland before moving to East Yorkshire, where he has overseen two promotions to the Premier League, one relegation and a first ever FA Cup final ap- pearance in 2014. Steve Bruce Juventus will not meet Gonzalo Higuain's £78.5m Napoli release clause, says Giuseppe Marotta Napoli say they will not accept anything less Gonzalo Higuain Ancelotti rules out Sane move Bayern Munich coach Carlo Ancelotti has ruled out making a move for Schalke winger Leroy Sane, saying he is happy with the squad he already has at his disposal THE Bundesliga champions have been linked with a move for the 20-year-old, as have Pep Guardiola's Manchester City. But Ancelotti, speaking on the eve of a prestigious pre-season friendly against City, closed the door on any new arrivals in Munich this sum- mer. "Our team is already very good with all of the positions filled," he said at a news conference when asked about the Sane rumours. "We don't need any more players for this season." The injury to Arjen Robben, who has been ruled out for six weeks, and the possible sale of Mario Gotze to Borussia Dortmund are not going to alter his ideas either, with Ancelotti saying there is "no news" on Gotze's proposed return to Westphalia. "He's still a Bayern player and, when he comes back from his holi- day, he will be treated as such," the Italian added. Schalke winger Leroy Sane (R) will not be joining Bayern Munich