Sunderland’s move for Argentinian full-back Gino Peruzzi appears dead in the water, following manager Paolo di Canio’s admission that he will not be joining the club after all. Our man, John Coates, once again gives us the latest on both these transfer sagas….

The news comes just a day after the 22-year-old’s current club, Velez Sarsfield, claimed that a deal to take Peruzzi to the Stadium of Light would go through following the Black Cats’ return from Hong Kong, where they are playing in the Barclays Asia Trophy. Such a statement appears to have been wide of the mark however, as di Canio has now revealed that the problem identified during a medical last week has scuppered any chance of the transfer being completed. The Italian said the North-East club are not in a position where they can afford to take a risk on a player’s fitness, although interestingly, the quotes attributed to him in the Sunderland Echo seem to suggest that the deal could be revived in the future: “At the moment, there is no chance for Gino Peruzzi to join us.”

In other news, one of the most protracted transfer sags of the summer has taken another twist with widespread reports that Napoli are now favourites to secure the signature of Gonzalo Higuain, ahead of Arsenal.

The Italian side, boosted by funds from the recent £55m sale of Edinson Cavani to Paris St Germain, have moved quickly in their efforts to fill the void left by the Uruguayan striker and have earmarked Higuain as the man to replace him. Arsenal have long been considered front-runners in the race to sign the Real Madrid front-man, however the move has stalled in recent weeks amid reports that the Spanish giants increased their valuation to over £30m. It is thought that Napoli are close to agreeing a deal for the player, and although Arsenal remain Higuain’s preferred destination, their reluctance to improve their offer could now see them miss out on one of their key targets.

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John is a London-based, sports writer and Arsenal season ticket holder. Follow him on Twitter @CoatseyJ