Chelsea Transfer News: Gonzalo Higuain Bid Readied, Raphael Varane Rumours

Premier League champions Chelsea are reportedly looking to add greater quality to their forward line over the summer by bringing in Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain.

Blues boss Jose Mourinho is apparently eager to add the Argentine to his squad to complement current forwards Diego Costa and Loic Remy.

According to Antony Kastrinakis in the Sun, the Portuguese manager is lining up a £30 million summer bid for the 27-year-old, who netted 18 times in Serie A last season, per WhoScored.com.

Although the Stamford Bridge outfit cruised to the English league title last season, they did often look short on out-and-out strikers.

Costa is prone to injury, while Remy is unproven at the very highest level. Club legend Didier Drogba has now departed and Higuain would be a significant upgrade on the ageing Ivorian.

Bleacher Report's Garry Hayes questions the need for another striker when Costa is fit, but that is not always the case:

Napoli could only finish fifth in the 2014-15 Serie A season, meaning they have missed out on next term's Champions League, not an issue for Chelsea.

Higuain will surely be eager to play in Europe's elite competition next term and Napoli could benefit from a £30 million transfer fee, so it could potentially be a mutually beneficial deal for all involved.

The Blues may face a challenge from Arsenal, who have long been linked with a move for Higuain, and are reportedly still enquiring after the player, per beIN Sports' Tancredi Palmeri:

However, the former Real Madrid star is likely to prefer a move to the current Premier League champions over a switch to the Gunners, who haven't won a title in over a decade.

Real Open to Varane Departure

Francois Mori/Associated Press

New Real boss Rafael Benitez is reportedly open to the prospect of Chelsea centre-back-target Raphael Varane departing the Bernabeu.

According to Spanish outlet AS (h/t Anthony Chapman in the Express), Benitez is looking to bring in Juventus' Leonardo Bonucci, thus limiting Varane's playing opportunities ever further.

The talented Frenchman is already behind Sergio Ramos and Pepe in the pecking order at Madrid, and he is seemingly not in Benitez's plans if he is targeting Bonucci also.

The 22-year-old Varane worked under Mourinho at Real and the Portuguese is known to be an admirer of the youngster.

With 34-year-old John Terry surely nearing the end of his career—although still performing to a very high level—and Gary Cahill's form inconsistent, Mourinho needs to plan for the future of his central defence.

Kurt Zouma has shown great promise at just 20 years old, and a potential partnership for him with compatriot Varane could bring stability to the back line at Stamford Bridge for another decade or more.