Chelsea Transfer News: Latest on Gonzalo Higuain and Radja Nainggolan Rumours

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis thinks that reported Chelsea target Gonzalo Higuain will stay at the club this summer.

The Argentina international striker enjoyed a magnificent campaign for the Partenopei in 2015-16, netting 36 goals in 35 appearances, a haul that saw the striker break a 66-year-old goalscoring record.

Speaking to La Repubblica (h/t Marca) De Laurentiis believes Higuain will still be around next season to try and better that mark:

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He has not received offers and, as he is a serious man, he will wait until the end of the Copa America before telling us what he wants to do. I do not think he will betray the affection Naples has shown him. 

Higuain may feel the need to go elsewhere for money, but he knows that he can be a hero here for many years.

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De Laurentiis also suggested that Napoli have offered Higuain new terms. “I already put the money on the table,” he said.

The Blues have been linked with a move for Higuain recently, with incoming head coach Antonio Conte said to be keen on adding more firepower to his squad, per Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph.

Here is a look at the kind of attributes the Argentina man could bring to Stamford Bridge:

Higuain is a completely different type of forward to Diego Costa. While the Chelsea man bustles and barges his way through to goal, Higuain is much more clinical. The former Real Madrid man is so elusive in his movement, able to carve out space in the penalty area before using his brilliant technical skills to score a variety of goals.

Given that Chelsea aren’t going to be playing in the UEFA Champions League next season, unlike Napoli, you suspect the club would have a big fight on their hands to convince him to join. As noted by ESPN FC’s David Amoyal, the striker also has a hefty release clause in his contract:

It’d be a big surprise to see Chelsea part with that kind of money for the 28-year-old, though; in terms of longevity he certainly wouldn’t represent value. For the player, another term without featuring in Europe’s elite club competition in the peak years of his career is surely far from ideal too.

Eden Hazard Wants Radja Nainggolan at Chelsea

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Chelsea winger Eden Hazard has expressed his excitement at the possibility of AS Roma’s Radja Nainggolan joining the Blues.

Per Simon Rice of the Independent, the Belgium international also revealed his team-mate Thibaut Courtois feels the same way. ”[Courtois] and myself would love him to come to Chelsea,” he said ahead of the Red Devils’ Euro 2016 clash with Italy on Monday. “I think he is one of the best midfielders in the world.”

As noted in the report, the player has acknowledged that there is interest in him from the Blues, although Nainggolan has said “I have to take several things into account” before making a decision on his future.

The Belgium international has grown into one of the most authoritative midfield players in Serie A during his time in the Italian capital. These numbers from OptaPaolo show just how important he is to the cause:

Conte’s teams have always contained footballers who have energy and intensity in the middle of the pitch, areas in which Nainggolan has consistently excelled. His terrier-like aggression would be perfect for English football and for a Chelsea team that was a little flimsy last season, a welcome quality.

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The presence of Hazard and Courtois will surely aid the Blues in any potential pursuit, as they’d assist in making a move less daunting for their compatriot.

However, it’s clear the player has an affinity with Italian football, something that could prove costly for Chelsea as they seek to beef up their midfield.