Chelsea Transfer News: Latest on Antoine Griezmann, Gonzalo Higuain Rumours

Chelsea are reportedly leading the race to sign Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann in a sensational £40 million deal.

That's according to the Sun's Andrew Richardson, who noted the Frenchman could be set to replace Radamel Falcao at Stamford Bridge.

The 24-year-old is a strong candidate for being the best player in La Liga outside of giants Real Madrid and Barcelona and is enjoying a strong season so far with seven goals and four assists to his name in all competitions.

Last season, he notched a stunning 25 goals, 22 of which came in the league, which was behind only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi—albeit quite a long way back from their respective totals of 48 and 43.

Griezmann is versatile in his ability to play along the front line and possesses electric pace that, combined with his strong finishing, makes him an outstanding forward.

Football journalist Rafael Hernandez shares that belief:

Chelsea have struggled in all departments this season, not least up front. Currently sitting in 16th place in the Premier League, they've only scored 16 goals in 12 games—the same as Norwich City and fewer than all but two of the top 10.

Griezmann's signing would be a coup for any Premier League side, so for a team struggling the way the Blues are, he would undoubtedly provide an even bigger boost on and off the pitch.

Salvatore Laporta/Associated Press

So too would Napoli's Gonzalo Higuain, someone the Mirror's Andy Dunn reported is one of their January targets.

The Argentinian has been at his prolific best this season, racking up 11 goals and two assists for the Partenopei. Football journalist David Amoyal believes the striker is the best player in the league:

Higuain has forged a reputation as a deadly goalscorer throughout his career and would be a thoroughly reliable option for the Blues—likely more so than Diego Costa.

As Dunn noted, though, landing Griezmann, Higuain or any other top name will be exceedingly difficult in January, as clubs will be doubly reluctant to part with their stars in the midst of a campaign, while the prospect of swapping a club in good form for one potentially still struggling isn't a tempting one.

If Chelsea are to reinforce their attacking options midseason, expect Falcao to leave in order to free up space and for the Blues to pay a huge transfer fee to replace him—perhaps for a forward not even considered among the elite.