Tottenham striker Harry Kane an ideal replacement for Gonzalo Higuain at Napoli, says Diego Maradona

Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane should be targeted to replace Gonzalo Higuain, if and when the Napoli striker leaves Serie A, according to Diego Maradona. Roma's win over Napoli handed the title to Juventus on Monday (25 April), a development which comes amid continual rumours over the future of the Argentina international.

President Aurelio de Laurentiis has steadfastly refused to contemplate selling Higuain, but admitted last summer that a fee of €90m (£64.7m, $100.7m) would tempt him into parting ways with the 28-year-old. The former Real Madrid forward has been in imperious form this term, netting 30 goals in the Italian top flight but defeat to Juve in the title race was another case of what might have been for the player.

Higuaín's future has been thrown into sharp focus by Maradona - the outspoken former Napoli player who represented the club between 1984 and 1991 - who believes De Laurentiis will cash in on the forward this summer. Maradona would like to see the money reinvested in Tottenham's top scorer Kane, who himself has 24 top-flight goals this season.

"I know De Laurentiis, and I think he will sell Higuain," Maradona told Piuenne TV, according to Goal.com. "Higuain gave his best to Napoli, I don't think he can repeat this kind of form. We already saw it happen with Ezequiel Lavezzi.

"With the money he will earn, he will have to build a great team. It's not easy to replace Higuain, if it was up to me, I would choose Tottenham's Harry Kane. I don't know how much he costs, but I would sign."

Though Tottenham look destined to miss out on winning a first league title for 55 years - following the 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion with leaves them seven points behind leaders Leicester - a likely Champions League place represents a fine achievement following an outstanding campaign.

Kane has been persistently linked with a move away from Tottenham but it is yet to be seen how participation in Europe's top-tier competition affects interest from rival clubs. Only a clutch of English players have ever played professionally in Italy, with Ashley Cole, Ravel Morrison and Nathaniel Chalobah among the few recent exports.