Chelsea are reportedly confident there’s still hope for them in the Gonzalo Higuain transfer saga despite him looking close to joining AC Milan on loan from Juventus.
According to the Daily Mirror, there are two key reasons the Blues may still be in with a decent chance of hijacking this deal late in the day, in what could be a superb signing and much-needed boost for new manager Maurizio Sarri.
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Firstly, the Mirror states Chelsea are in talks to offload Olivier Giroud to Marseille for around £20million, which would then give them the cash to match Milan’s financial package for the Higuain transfer deal.
On top of that, the Mirror add that Higuain himself is unsure over a loan move and would prefer a permanent transfer if he is to leave Juve this summer.
The Argentina international would clearly be a great addition for Chelsea at the moment, with Alvaro Morata performing poorly up front last season – and again with a number of big chances missed in yesterday’s friendly defeat to Arsenal.
And although Giroud put in some decent displays since arriving from Arsenal in January, the Frenchman is certainly not an ideal long-term solution in that position.
Higuain, meanwhile, has been one of the most prolific strikers in the game in recent years and played under Sarri at Napoli, so shouldn’t have too much trouble adapting to life at Stamford Bridge, even if he has never played in England before.
If Sarri can get the Higuain transfer done, Chelsea would finally be making the high-calibre signing needed to help them bounce back from last season’s disappointing fifth-place finish.