Chelsea Transfer News: Gonzalo Higuain Wanted Amid Diego Costa Exit Rumours

Chelsea are reportedly targeting a move for Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain, and should the Argentinian arrive at Stamford Bridge that could spell the end of Diego Costa's time at the club.

So reported the Mirror's John Cross, who noted Costa is "fighting for his Chelsea future" ahead of a potential summer deal for Higuain.

The Spain international has scored just three goals in 15 Blues appearances this season. By contrast, in the same number of games Higuain has bagged an incredible 11. Here are the players' career comparisons:

	Higuain	Costa
Age	27	27
Career Apps	400	324
Goals	194	127
Assists	81	46

Football writers Marco Credentino and James Horncastle believe the 27-year-old to be the best striker in Italy:

That's high praise for a league that contains the likes of Paulo Dybala, Domenico Berardi and Mauro Icardi.

Like many Chelsea players, Costa's form has dipped sharply after an excellent season last year, where he racked up 20 goals.

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

Indeed, the forward has been hitting the headlines far more for his unsavoury antics and clashes with defenders. His most recent outing against Stoke City was no exception, per BBC Sport's Phil McNulty:

The striker's actions were already grating when they helped Chelsea win, but now they are no longer doing that there's even less place for it.

Rui Vieira/Associated Press

Chelsea play with just one striker, so Higuain's arrival would most likely see Costa moved on as neither forward would likely be content with a back-up role.

Per Charles Perrin of the Express, the Argentinian turned down a one-year extension to his current Napoli deal in the summer, which is set to expire in 2018. Nevertheless, Higuain's brother and agent Nicolas told Radio Crc:

"We are calm and happy to continue with the current conditions. At the moment, we have faith that Gonzalo will stay at Napoli, with a team which is 100 per cent focused and can win something."

However, the chance to play for Chelsea in the Premier League could well prove tempting for the striker. What would stand in Chelsea's way is his release clause, reportedly set at £66 million, according to Perrin.

While the Blues are no strangers to splashing the cash, they're not likely to meet that phenomenal sum even for Higuain. 

The fact remains, though, that if Costa does not turn around his form by the end of the season he's still in serious jeopardy of being replaced.