Juventus attacker Gonzalo Higuain has left quarantine in Italy to join his seriously ill mother back in Argentina, Goal understands.
Having undergone a negative test for COVID-19 in the past hours, the former Napoli hitman has returned to his homeland in what has been a testing journey through France and then Spain owing to the restrictions of movement because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Northern Italy has become one of the global hotspots for the disease, with the nation under lockdown after more than 35,000 people have tested positive for the virus, with near 3,000 dead. Indeed, latest figures show that Italy has nearly twice as many active cases as any other country in the world, with the global total of people infected now standing around 230,000.
This has resulted in significant restrictions in movement between countries, with many borders locked down, but that has not prevented the 32-year-old centre-forward from returning to South America.
Higuain has endured another difficult season at Juventus, where he has featured 34 times but has returned a relatively disappointing eight goals and eight assists. His last goal in Serie A arrived when he came off the bench to net against Cagliari on January 6, though he subsequently registered in a 4-0 Coppa Italia victory over Udinese nine days later.
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He has featured regularly for Maurizio Sarri’s side, who found themselves under pressure at the summit of the standings when Serie A was suspended in order to deal with the social crisis that the pandemic has brought.
Juve hold a one-point advantage over Lazio at the head of the table but finished up in good spirits after defeating Inter 2-0 in their final match before the lockdown began.
Meanwhile, their Champions League last-16 clash with Lyon remains in the balance, with the Ligue 1 side having secured a 1-0 lead in the first leg of the encounter thanks to a goal from Lucas Tousart.
Higuain is chasing his third Serie A title, having already won the crown in Turin during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 campaigns. Previously, he won La Liga on three occasions during a stint with Real Madrid.