The Premier League giants Arsenal are reportedly leading the race to secure Gonzalo Higuain’s signature, according to Italian media Calciomercato.

The 27-year-old has been heavily linked with a switch to the north London club and was close to joining the Gunners back in 2013, according to The Sun.

However, the Argentina forward decided to move to Italian giants with Napoli. Since moving to Serie A outfit, the South American has been a HIT, scoring 42 league goals in 78 games.

#AFC transfer gossip: ‘Arsene Wenger to consider £68m Napoli forward Gonzalo Higuain’ – https://t.co/L7pMX1JOHy pic.twitter.com/hcCc2418zb

— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) October 27, 2015

But during his three-year spells at Napoli, Higuain has played Champions League only once, meaning the striker is no longer regularly showcasing his displays on Europe’s elite tournament.

But Calciomercato claims that talks between Napoli and Arsenal are ongoing. Furthermore, the Gunners are leading the race to sign the former Real Madrid forward, who is understood to be keen on a move the the Emirates next summer.

Higuain is currently under contract until 2018 and will cost Wenger somewhere around £70m after Napoli inserted a £67.7m release clause in his current contract.