Juventus are not close to signing Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain, according to Bianconeri director Fabio Paratici.
Although Napoli have played down reports of their star striker moving to the Italian champions, reports persist that Juve are closing in on a deal to sign the former Real Madrid man.
Paratici, did not rule out a move for Higuain in the future and talked up Napoli's interest in a number of Juventus players but claimed that any deal was a long way off yet.
"All the big clubs know that their top players can receive tempting offers," Paratici is quoted as saying in Gazzetta dello Sport. "At Juve, for example, we have the [Leonardo] Bonucci and [Paul] Pogba interest from many clubs and are prepared for possible replacements. That is what Napoli would be doing as well, certainly.
"However, Higuain for us is a distant thing. I hear that Napoli like more than one of our players, but I guarantee at this moment there are no offers and no negotiations."
Paratici admitted Juve had tried to sign Argentina international Higuain before Napoli did in 2013, but were unable to reach an agreement with the player.
"We tried before Napoli to talk with Real but did not reach an agreement," he said. "Because that failed, we didn't approach him."