Chelsea increasingly confident of signing Gonzalo Higuaín in January • Argentinian striker on loan at Milan from Juventus • Move would pave way for Álvaro Morata to join Atlético Fabrizio Romano and Dominic Fifield
Chelsea are confident they will be able to secure the signing of Gonzalo Higuaín this month and expect progress to be made in negotiations with his parent club, Juventus, and Milan over the next few days.
The Argentina forward is currently on loan at San Siro but, with his relationship with the Milan hierarchy increasingly strained, has made clear his preference is to be reunited with Maurizio Sarri at Stamford Bridge. The two Serie A clubs competed in the Italian Supercoppa in Jeddah on Wednesday – Higuaín was omitted from the Rossoneri’s starting lineup as he was apparently suffering from a fever but came on as a second-half substitute in the 1-0 defeat – and they are understood to have discussed the forward’s future while in Saudi Arabia.
The 31-year-old is unsettled, not least because he feels Milan intend to renege on a promise to sign him permanently for £31m at the end of the season having been unconvinced by his form for Gennaro Gattuso’s side this season. Higuaín has scored eight times in all competitions but only once since the end of October and commands that hefty fee and wages of £170,000-a-week net. Milan have switched targets to Genoa’s Krzysztof Piatek and will have to make progress on a deal for the Polish striker before sanctioning Higuaín’s release.
Chelsea would not normally pursue a player of Higuaín’s age and would instinctively be more inclined to go for Internazionale’s Mauro Icardi as a longer-term solution. But Sarri, in desperate need of a striker familiar with his preferred style of play, has made clear a desire to work again with a forward who set a new Serie A goalscoring record of 36 in 35 games over the season under his stewardship at Napoli. He was subsequently sold to Juve for £79.8m, only to be squeezed out by Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival in Turin last summer.
The deal, most likely a loan, may be complicated to complete, not least given the various payments Milan had agreed to make to Juve and the option to make the loan permanent, but there is optimism that progress can be made in talks. Higuaín’s arrival would pave the way for Chelsea to loan out Álvaro Morata, with Atlético Madrid his most likely destination.
Chelsea continue to resist Bayern Munich’s interest in Callum Hudson-Odoi, despite the Bundesliga club having offered £35m for the England youth international forward. Hudson-Odoi, who has yet to make a Premier League start, is keen on a move to Germany having grown frustrated at a perceived lack of senior opportunities and is expected to leave this month.
Agreement reached between #Juventus and #Chelsea for Gonzalo #Higuain! Loan + buy option for 6 months; it can be extended as loan also for one year more (2019/2020 season) if Higuain will get some steps with Chelsea (caps, goals, team targets). 🔵 #CFC #Chelsea #Juve #Milan
Also #Milan are ready to give the final OK for #Higuain to Chelsea. Gonzalo is now buzzing to re-join Maurizio Sarri and start his first experience in Premier League. Just final details missing and then... here we go! 🔵 #CFC #Chelsea #Juve #Milan
羅力亞
2019-01-17 06:25
Álvaro #Morata is getting closer to #AtléticoMadrid from #Chelsea. Advanced talks and Álvaro has accepted the destination. 🔴⚪️ #Atleti #AtleticoMadrid #transfers #CFC
...and with Chelsea working to get Higuain on loan, Atlético Madrid now is getting closer to Álvaro #Morata 🇪🇸
The Spanish striker has accepted Átletico as his next destination. Talks ongoing Chelsea-Átletico now to sell Morata... if #Higuain will join Chelsea ⌛️
#CFC #Atleti
羅力亞
2019-01-17 06:34
Juventus have reached an agreement with Chelsea to send Gonzalo Higuain on loan for 6 months with an option for another year on loan tied to specific conditions. Deal should be completed in the coming days, according to @DiMarzio.
羅力亞
2019-01-17 08:52
Chelsea have backed Sarri on this - Higuain, aged 31, on loan would not have been the club's choice but the head coach was adamant he wanted him. Morata will now leave, either on loan or permanently.
羅力亞
2019-01-17 08:53
#Milan are working for #Piatek as Higuain substitute. Talks ongoing with Genoa and with his agent to find the agreement. Michy Batshuayi has been offered from Chelsea (Monaco always interested in signing him) but he's not the first choice for AC Milan. Piatek is the main target.
Chelsea have offered Michy Batshuayi to AC Milan, seemingly to unblock the situation for Gonzalo Higuain, which is holding up his loan move to AS Monaco, according to @DiMarzio.
posouth
2019-01-18 06:12
出咗成日街返黎, 單野原來仲未搞掂
羅力亞
2019-01-18 08:01
The situation around the transfer of Gonzalo Higuain to Chelsea is getting clearer, as the player's brother-agent has left Argentina to reach Madrid, where he will wait for the call to settle the final details of Higuain's contract and close the deal.
The transfer will happen on the basis of a loan untile June with an obligation to extend the loan for an additional deal, should some conditions be met during his first 6 months with Chelsea.
Krzysztof Piatek to Milan, last details to finalize the deal... and then Higuain to Chelsea, Morata to Átletico Madrid 🔃🔵 #transfers
羅力亞
2019-01-21 16:27
Gonzalo Higuain will join Chelsea, admits AC Milan boss Gennaro Gattuso
Last Updated: 20/01/19 5:44pm
AC Milan head coach Gennaro Gattuso says he "accepts" Gonzalo Higuain's decision to leave after dropping him from their squad to face Genoa.
Higuain has been linked with a move to Chelsea to rejoin his former head coach at Napoli, Maurizio Sarri.
Sky in Italy reported Higuain, who is on loan at AC Milan from Juventus, has agreed to move to Stamford Bridge until the end of the season, when Chelsea will then have the option to buy the Argentina striker.
Gattuso said: "I accept his decision. Surely he could have done more and maybe we could have helped him fit in better.
"I want to be honest with you all. We had a poor training session today due to all these rumours. We spoke after the training session and I did not consider him ready for this game."
The 31-year-old was left on the bench for Milan's Supercoppa Italiana defeat to Juventus in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.
Gattuso confirmed Higuain will be left out once again when Milan, who are sixth in Serie A, face Genoa on Monday.
Any deal for Higuain would see Alvaro Morata leave Chelsea. The Spaniard, who joined from Real Madrid for £57m in July 2017, is close to completing his move to Atletico Madrid.
Morata was left out of Chelsea's 18-man squad as they lost 2-0 at Arsenal on Saturday.
AC Milan and Genoa will meet tomorrow to finalise the transfer of Krzysztof Piatek, according to Sky in Italy.
The fee will be in the region of £31m plus bonuses linked to qualification in the Champions League.
The completion of the Piatek deal will then allow Gonzalo Higuain to complete his move to Chelsea.
We understand AC Milan and Chelsea have already agreed a loan deal until June for Higuain, with an obligation to renew it for another 12 months upon certain conditions.
羅力亞
2019-01-21 19:10
Gonzalo Higuain loan deal with Chelsea moves closer
Krzysztof Piatek set to join Milan from Genoa
By Richard Cooke
Last Updated: 21/01/19 10:22am
Gonzalo Higuain's loan to Chelsea has moved a step closer with AC Milan and Genoa meeting on Tuesday to finalise the sale of Krzysztof Piatek, according to Sky in Italy.
Milan will pay Genoa in the region of £31m for Piatek plus bonuses linked to qualification in the Champions League.
The completion of the Piatek deal will then allow Gonzalo Higuain to tie up his move to Chelsea.
The clubs have already agreed terms on a loan deal until June with an obligation to renew it for another 12 months upon certain conditions.
Sky in Italy reported on Sunday that Higuain, who is on loan at AC Milan from Juventus, has agreed to move to Stamford Bridge until the end of the season.
It will allow him to rejoin his former head coach at Napoli, Maurizio Sarri.
Piatek-Milan, tomorrow a decisive meeting will take place.
After the two teams played today in Serie A, Milan and Genoa will continue their game that is taking place off the field. An important meeting will occur tomorrow as they try to define the operation that should see a transfer happen at 35 million euros plus bonuses, which will be tied to the rossoneri's Champions League qualification.
The player himself will receive 2 million per season plus bonuses, for a total of five years.
Gonzalo Higuain's transfer from Milan to Chelsea is moving along the same line as Piatek's transfer. The maximum agreement between Juventus and the Premier League club already exists, with Milan's approval also there. Piatek coming means Higuain is leaving, with the player set to join the Blues on a loan until the end of the season with an obligation for an additional one year loan set at certain objectives.
羅力亞
2019-01-23 07:58
Final details for Gonzalo Higuain to Chelsea have been resolved and Pipita has been given the green light to have to his medical for The Blues, according to @DiMarzio.
羅力亞
2019-01-23 16:43
羅力亞
2019-01-23 16:43
Gonzalo Higuain is expected in London today for Chelsea medical.
According to Sky in Italy, Genoa and AC Milan reached an agreement last night over the transfer of Krzysztof Piatek. He arrived in Milan last night to undergo medical this morning. The fee is around £30million.
羅力亞
2019-01-23 17:12
Gonzalo Higuain has left Milan and is flying to London for his medical with Chelsea.
He’ll sign a loan deal with an option to buy, according to Sky in Italy.
羅力亞
2019-01-23 21:55
MORE ON HIGUAIN
Chelsea are in final negotiations to sign Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain, head coach Maurizio Sarri has said.
Higuain scored 36 goals in 35 Serie A games in his one season at Napoli under Sarri. "They're a few hours into signing a contract today," Sarri said.
Chelsea play Tottenham in Thursday's Carabao Cup semi-final second leg at Stamford Bridge, bidding to overturn a 1-0 deficit to reach the February 24 final. Chelsea had until noon to register Higuain for the match, but Sarri says "it's impossible" for the Argentina international to feature.
"We hope he'll bring goals, he'll start scoring for us," Sarri added. "It's very difficult in January to find one of the most important strikers in the world. So I think the club is working very well because it's not easy to get a new striker."
羅力亞
2019-01-23 22:59
Sky sources: Gonzalo Higuain is at Stamford Bridge to sign his Chelsea contract after completing his medical.
羅力亞
2019-01-24 05:21
Gonzalo Higuain has today joined Chelsea on loan for the remainder of the season. The 31-year-old striker moves to Stamford Bridge from Italian side Juventus. He spent the first half of the campaign on loan at AC Milan where he scored eight goals.
A proven goalscorer throughout his career, and an Argentina international, Higuain arrives with a wealth of experience at the highest level having consistently shown his attacking quality during spells in Argentina, Spain and Italy.
Clinical in and around the penalty area, as well as providing a strong aerial threat, Higuain previously played under Maurizio Sarri at Napoli in 2015/16, when he finished as top scorer in Serie A with 36 goals, breaking a long-standing Italian record.
Upon completing his loan move to Chelsea, Higuain, who will wear the number nine shirt, said: ‘When the opportunity to join Chelsea presented itself I had to take it. It’s a team I’ve always liked that has a lot of history, a wonderful stadium and they play in the Premier League, a league I’ve always wanted to play in.
‘I now hope I can give back that trust Chelsea have shown me out on the pitch. I can’t wait to start and I hope to adapt as soon as possible.’
Director Marina Granovskaia added: ‘Gonzalo was our number one target in this transfer window and arrives with a proven record at the highest level. He has previously worked with Maurizio to great effect and is familiar with how the coach likes to play.
‘This was not an easy deal for us to do because of the numerous parties involved, but we are delighted we were able to make it happen and we look forward to seeing the impact Gonzalo will make for us in the second half of the season.’
