Chelsea Transfer News: Huge Gonzalo Higuain Fee Reported, Latest Blues Rumours

Napoli will reportedly hold out for a monstrous £76 million fee for reported Chelsea target Gonzalo Higuain, the in-form striker who has almost single-handedly fired the Partenopei to the top of the Serie A standings.

London 24 (h/t Daily Express' Joseph Pearson) claimed the Blues are tracking the former Real Madrid star, while Alexandre Pato is reportedly also still on the club's radar.

Higuain has been in sensational form in 2015-16, scoring an incredible 20 goals in 20 Serie A matches, which makes him the best scorer in Europe's top leagues, per Squawka Dave:

The 28-year-old has bounced back from a rough spell that started during the 2014 FIFA World Cup, where he made headlines with his poor play and a crucial miss in the final. Had he scored, Argentina may have beaten Germany. 

One year later, the same thing happened during the 2015 Copa America, and once again, the Albiceleste came up short, this time against hosts Chile. Higuain's reputation took an enormous hit, and many casual fans of the sport thought his best days were well behind him.

But he kept scoring at a reasonable rate for Napoli, and in 2015-16, he has kicked into a new gear. Higuain once again looks back to his old self, terrorising defences with his surprising mobility, superb instincts and lethal finishing ability.

Here's a look at some of his highlights:

His hot form has understandably led to transfer speculation, although the Argentinian seems unlikely to leave the Partenopei anytime soon. Napoli have been battling it out for the Serie A title for years, and all that hard work could finally be rewarded in 2015-16, as the team currently lead the standings.

Higuain seems happy in Napoli, where he's the biggest star of the team and wide men like Lorenzo Insigne and Dries Mertens play in his service. Meanwhile, Chelsea might not even play any European football next season, so the forward is more likely to wait until they do.   

The £76 million fee may sound absurd for a player who is already 28 and hasn't consistently dominated on the highest level, but it's not shocking Napoli would hold out for such a bid. After all, Higuain is incredibly valuable to them, as explained by FourFourTwo's Adam Digby:

Perhaps the player could be tempted by a move to the Premier League and the likely wage increase that would come with it, but in all likelihood, he'll stay in Italy for the time being.

Loan Deals for Christian Atsu, Papy Djilobodji?

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Chelsea are reportedly talking to La Liga side Espanyol regarding a double-loan deal for Christian Atsu and Papy Djilobodji, according to Spanish publication Sport (h/t Daily Express' James Cambridge).

The former spent time on loan with Bournemouth this season but found playing time hard to come by and has already returned to Stamford Bridge, while the latter joined the club during the summer window but is yet to play a second of Premier League football.

Djilobodji was signed as defensive insurance near the end of the window, but from the very start, little was expected of the 27-year-old. To begin with, virtually no one had even heard of him, and former manager Jose Mourinho admitted he did not make the decision to sign the defender, per Jacob Murtagh of the Daily Mirror.

ITV Football couldn't help itself:

The lack of development of Atsu and new rumours of an exit will likely disappoint fans more. The quick winger was signed from Porto in 2013 and looked like a future superstar, capable of flying across the pitch at a high speed and scoring at will.

But like so many younger players, he was never given a real chance to prove himself on the senior level and spent his time on loan with Vitesse, Everton and Bournemouth. He barely saw the pitch with those last two clubs, and his development stalled as a result.

Now 24 years old, Atsu is still young enough to make good on his potential, and he has flashed his incredible talent. He was sensational for Ghana during the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, where he even won the Player of the Tournament award, per Neil Jones of the Liverpool Echo. He also scored this screamer along the way:

Another loan deal may give Atsu the playing time he needs, but his long-term future with Chelsea looks murky regardless. The Blues are more likely to cash in should he have a strong stretch of matches with Espanyol, with his value unlikely to rise in the coming years.

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