Chelsea close in on £44.6m capture of Juventus defender Daniele Rugani as Maurizio Sarri turns attentions to signing Gonzalo Higuain- Chelsea are closing in on Rugani, their second signing under Maurizio Sarri
- The 23-year-old Juventus defender is set to cost the club around £44.6m
- Sarri will focus on landing striker Gonzalo Higuain once Rugani is signed
Chelsea are closing in on confirming Juventus defender Daniele Rugani as Maurizio Sarri's second signing of the summer. The 23-year-old is set to cost around £44.6million and getting this deal done could help when it comes to talks over Gonzalo Higuain. Higuain has been on Chelsea's radar with Sarri wanting to take a closer look at Alvaro Morata during pre-season, starting this week in Australia.
Chelsea and Juve have been in talks over Rugani and will switch their attention fully to Higuain once their first bit of business is finalised.
The signing of Rugani will leave question marks over the future of Gary Cahill. Speaking at his unveiling about the England defender, who is currently on holiday, Sarri said: 'With respect to Cahill, I think he can still give us a lot.'
Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport reported on Thursday that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has arrived in Milan to seal a double deal for Higuain and Rugani.
The Russian tycoon, who does not currently have a UK visa, is said to have travelled to Italy in order to help agent Fali Ramadani in talks with the Serie A champions.
Corriere claims Juventus chief executive Fabio Paratici met with Chelsea officials on Wednesday with the intention of agreeing a deal worth ?100million (£89m) for both Higuain and Rugani.
Ramadani, who has a close relationship with Juventus, was hired by Chelsea to act as an intermediary between the two clubs and has succeeded in taking talks to the brink of an agreement.
Now, Abramovich appears to have flown in to oversee the final details with Chelsea hoping to complete the double signing in time for Higuain and Rugani to link up with the team on their pre-season tour of Australia.
