When Juventus, one of the first clubs linked to Gonzalo Higuaín this summer, decided to take Carlos Tévez from Manchester City, the Argentine that’s currently living out his last days at Real Madrid seemed destined for Arsenal, the team that was competing with the Bianconeri for the Argentine’s signature. But as time has passed and Arsenal’s become distracted by other targets, the Higuaín courtship has stalled. Now other clubs are assuming Juventus’s place as Arsenal’s rivals for the 25-year-old.

The main competitor seems to be Napoli, with speculation surround Serie A’s runners-up becoming so intense that Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has had to deny a fee’s been agreed. Given Napoli’s recently sold Edinson Cavani, has that money to blow, is in need of a striker, and can offer players Champions League soccer, the Higuaín connection makes sense on a lot of levels, least of which is the work Rafa Benítez did the last time he had spent a prolonged period of time with a world-class striker (the Liverpool version of Fernando Torres).

But per Ancelotti, speaking yesterday, there’s still a way to go before Higuaín’s in Naples. Asked about a deal being in place to send him to Italy:

“Not true, I don’t have any news about this … “I think that now we have to speak about Higuain as a Real Madrid player. He is a fantastic player and a fantastic striker who took one minute to score tonight. “I spoke to him this week. He is a Real Madrid player and until we have news we have to consider him as a Real Madrid player and I would like him to stay with us. “He is very important to us and nothing else – it is not my business to judge the price of a player.”

Ancelotti’s last point is important when considering the weight of his words. To a certain extent, his words are obligatory, the type of remarks any considerate coach would say about a player who’s still training with the team. But Ancelotti also isn’t somebody who’ll make the final decision about if, when, and to where Higuaín is sold. In that vein, there’s a chance Ancelotti can speak with a plausible deniability when it comes to transfer news.

Still, there’s a momentum surrounding Higuaín’s possible move east instead of north. It’s enough to make reporters questions Ancelotti. It’s enough to make Arsenal fans fear another rumor of a big signing will fail to materialize.

Until Higuaín’s unveiled in Naples, however, there’s chance to salvage this deal, but if there’s any truth to the rumors surrounding Suárez, Arsenal may be playing the dog that drops its bone into the stream.