Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has said he hopes Edinson Cavani will remain at the club “for a long time” after Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger voiced his admiration for the prolific striker.

AssociatedCavani is a prolific goalscorer

Cavani, 25, was the subject of much transfer speculation even before De Laurentiis revealed last month that the player's latest contract – which runs to 2017 – contains a €63 million buyout clause.

Wenger became the latest in a long line of managers to praise the Uruguayan striker, who arrived in Naples for just €17 million in 2010.

“Cavani is a player that I like,” the Gunners boss said. “Will he cost a lot of money? That's for sure. Nobody would deny that.”

De Laurentiis, however, is in no mood to let the man who has scored 91 goals in 118 appearances for his club leave.

“He is a great player,” he told Sky Italia on Thursday. “I hope he will remain for a long time at Napoli, as he can become a symbol to identify this club.”

“Now we go forward game after game, and towards the end of March will see where we are. We’ll lift our heads and try to fight for the best possible objective.”