Argentina legend Diego Maradona is upset that Arsenal target Gonzalo Higuain could leave Napoli for Juventus this summer, but does not blame the striker.
Reports in Italy on Saturday suggested that Italian champions Juventus have activated the €94million release clause of Higuain, who scored 36 goals for Serie A runners-up Napoli last season.
Standard Sport understands that Arsenal had targeted a potential deal for the 29-year-old Argentina international earlier this summer, but Higuain has reportedly already undergone a medical in Madrid ahead of a move to Turin.
On Saturday, Napoli supporters gathered in the city centre to tear up pictures of the Argentine and set fire to replicas of his No.9 shirt.
There were also protests against both Higuain and the club at Trento, where Napoli won a pre-season friendly 4-0.
A Higuain banner was photographed tied to a dustcart in the city of Naples on Sunday as protests continued.
And Maradona - who won two league titles with Napoli and coached Higuain as Argentina manager - says that his compatriot's potential move to Italian giants Juve is tough to take.
"This Higuain affair is hurting me because he is going to a direct rival like Juventus," he wrote on Facebook. "But we cannot blame the player either.
"A player has a responsibility to himself and it is those fat cats of business that are grinning the most in this case.
"Nobody thinks of the fan.
Maradona also appeared to blame Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis for the deal, despite the club having little say in the deal if Juve have, as expected, activated Higuain's release clause.
"I'm tired of saying that today it seems to be more important to be a good businessman than a good president," he added.
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"This did not happen in my time. Too bad that Fifa continues to sleep."
Additional reporting by Reuters.
