The brother and agent of Gonzalo Higuain has said the striker's move from Napoli to fierce Serie A rivals Juventus was not motivated by money, claiming higher wages were offered by his former club.
Higuain, 28, joined Juventus on a five-year contract after the Serie A champions triggered the €90m release clause in his Napoli contract.
The former Real Madrid man claimed at his Juve unveiling that a poor relationship with Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis was the reason why he decided to leave the club.
De Laurentiis later fired back in an angry statement on Napoli's website, launching an attack on Higuain's agent - Nicolas - after negotiations over a new contract stalled.
But Nicolas insists the reason why his sibling did not extend his stay at Napoli was because it was never about money but the lure of Juventus' project.
"I heard that he spoke of our meetings for the renewal of Gonzalo's contract," Nicolas told Tuttosport.
"The only thing I can say is that we never reached an agreement because the issue was not [about money], but the project, and I said so many times.
"De Laurentiis has proposed a major contract with higher figures than those of Juve, but the problem was not the money."
Nicolas also said that Gonzalo's move to Juventus was not fuelled by a desire to betray Napoli, but rather they were his only option as no other clubs were willing to meet the hefty release clause.
"The only team that has come forward is Juve, there were no other clubs willing to pay the €90m clause," he continued.
"Only the Bianconeri were ready to do so and no other member of the big European clubs have contacted me in recent months. The rest are lies."
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