Chelsea Transfer News: Latest on Gonzalo Higuain and Faouzi Ghoulam Rumours

According to Napoli's chairman, Chelsea have been dissuaded from buying Gonzalo Higuain because of his huge £66 million release clause.

Per Joe Short of the Express, Aurelio De Laurentiis told Corriere della Sera: "I never, ever considered selling Higuain. It wasn’t by chance that I put a very high clause in his contract, which makes it difficult to sustain for any buyer."

He added: "I expect that he’s respectful of the commitment and work of the team."

The striker enjoyed an outstanding season in front of goal last year, netting 28 times and providing 10 assists in all competitions.

As WhoScored.com demonstrates, the striker was particularly prolific in the Europa League:

BeIN Sport's Matteo Bonetti argues that despite Higuain's high-profile struggles with the Argentina national team at the World Cup and the Copa America, the 27-year-old remains a top talent:

Higuain would have been less of a risk than Radamel Falcao as an alternative to Diego Costa. However, Chelsea's reluctance to splash the cash is unsurprising.

Jose Mourinho has been vocal in recent months about his happiness that the Blues now live within their means and obey the rules of UEFA's financial fair play.

Despite Higuain's talent, £66 million is an incredible sum and all but guarantees that De Laurentiis' wish for the forward to stay will come true.

Unless one of his strikers suffers a lengthy injury prior to the end of the transfer window, don't expect Mourinho to go back into the market for a centre-forward.

Blues Interested in 'Arsenal Target' Faouzi Ghoulam

One Napoli player who could be heading to Stamford Bridge this summer is Faouzi Ghoulam.

Ouahad Hebbat/Associated Press

According to African Football's Stephane DeSaintsalvy (via Will Giles of Metro), Chelsea are seeking a replacement for Filipe Luis and may have found one in Ghoulam, who is also a target for London rivals Arsenal.

Partenopei manager Maurizio Sarri recently conceded that Ivan Strinic's injury means they would find it difficult to cope without the Algerian. Per DeSaintsalvy's report, he said:

"

We are going to really struggle if Ghoulam leaves now. I have no replacement for him, especially as Strinic is yet to recover from injury.

We need his services as we don’t have enough back-up solutions. Ghoulam has a huge potential, he has plenty of room for improvement, especially defensively.

I will be very disappointed if he leaves us.

"

The 24-year-old would make strong cover for Cesar Azpilicueta and would allow Mourinho to rest the Spaniard as Chelsea inevitably fight lengthy campaigns on four fronts.

As reported by Squawka, the left-back won 46 per cent of his tackles and 64 per cent of his aerial duels in Serie A last season, demonstrating his growing defensive capabilities.

Ghoulam is also competent going forward, creating 23 chances, as well as successfully completing 57 per cent of his take-ons. This would allow him to link up well with Eden Hazard on Chelsea's left-hand side, while Costa and Falcao would undoubtedly benefit from his crosses into the box.

Signing him will be difficult given Napoli's situation, so expect Ghoulam to remain in Naples until they can replace him.