Chelsea Transfer News: Gonzalo Higuain Wants Release Clause Cut, Latest Rumours

Chelsea target Gonzalo Higuain reportedly wants his buyout clause to be significantly reduced from £72 million to £47 million, which could open the door for the Blues to make a move. 

According to Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t the Sun's Lee Astley), the Argentinian would like £25 million knocked off his release clause, "making a move away from Italy even more likely." Further, he is said to have been made a "top target" for incoming Blues boss Antonio Conte.

Such a reduction would indeed come in handy, and the 28-year-old is likely to have a wealth of suitors this summer after an incredible campaign for the Partenopei, the details of which were revealed by journalists James Horncastle and Matteo Bonetti:

Bleacher Report UK's Adam Digby also reflected on his astounding achievement:

Chelsea managed 59 goals in the Premier League this season—a respectable total given their struggles for much of the campaign—but with a dearth of quality options up front besides Diego Costa, further firepower is needed.

According to Squawka, while he only produced two assists in Serie A Higuain actually created a total of 51 chances, so his team-mates will also have plenty to feed off should he arrive at Stamford Bridge.

Napoli will undoubtedly be desperate to keep him, though, so they may be unwilling to acquiesce to his demands.

If they do, Chelsea will still face significant competition for his signature as Arsenal and Manchester United are also interested, according to Astley.

Andrew Medichini/Associated Press

Meanwhile, the Blues—and a whole host of elite European clubs—will reportedly have to compete with Paris Saint-Germain to land Inter Milan goalkeeper Samir Handanovic. According to Claudio Colla of TransferMarketWeb, Les Parisiens could be set to use Salvatore Sirigu as a makeweight in order to capture the Slovenian.

The 31-year-old has established himself among Serie A's best in recent years, and as GianlucaDiMarzio.com's David Amoyal noted, he's a vital player at Inter:

However, Bleacher Report UK's Jonathan Johnson believes PSG have little need for him:

Indeed, neither do Chelsea as long as they keep Thibaut Courtois, but should the Belgian depart he'd make a strong replacement.

Offering up a solid 'keeper in exchange would go a long way to getting Inter to accept the deal, so PSG would likely place themselves at the front of the race to land him if they did so.