Chelsea Transfer News: Latest on Romelu Lukaku and Gonzalo Higuain Rumours

Chelsea have reportedly pulled out of the race to sign Everton striker Romelu Lukaku because of his whopping £75 million valuation.

According to Paul Joyce of the Daily Express, that's how much the Toffees want before they consider moving the Belgium international on. David Woods of the Daily Star noted that amount would be enough to end any pursuit on the part of the Blues, who sold Lukaku to Everton for £28 million in 2014.

The striker endured a difficult UEFA European Championship, as the Red Devils were eliminated by Wales in the quarter-finals on Friday. It's prompted plenty of questions about Lukaku's true potential. As we can see here, courtesy of Squawka Football, the 23-year-old certainly knows where the back of the net is:

There are other areas of his game that need work, however. Lukaku showed during his spell in France that compared to football's elite forwards, his hold-up play is poor, his movement is erratic and his work rate lacks. Nevertheless, he's still young and still learning about a position that's difficult to master.

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He'll always score goals, though. Lukaku's pace and power get him into some excellent positions, while his left foot is thunderous. The potential is there for him to become more than just a brilliant goalscorer, but any player who's a proven goal-getter in the Premier League will be worth a lot of money.

Still, as Elliott Bretland of the Daily Mail noted, perhaps it's time the player did more of his talking on the pitch:

Chelsea announced they acquired Michy Batshuayi on Sunday, and he'll provide a dynamic presence at the point of the attack. While more attacking reinforcements will be needed, Lukaku, with a £75 million price attached, looks set to be staying on Merseyside.

Gonzalo Higuain Rumours

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According to AS (h/t Alex Harris of the Daily Star), Chelsea are set to step up their interest in Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain.

It's suggested the Blues will chase the Argentina international before offloading Diego Costa. AS noted Chelsea are capable of meeting the £78.8 million release clause in the striker's Napoli contract, with Atletico Madrid said to have ruled out a pursuit for the player.

However, according to Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph, Costa will "100 per cent" stay at Chelsea next season, with Conte said to be keen on partnering him with Alvaro Morata up top.

Higuain enjoyed the best season of his career in 2015-16, scoring a staggering 36 Serie A goals. Here is a look at how he compared statistically with Costa in league matches:

	Higuain	Costa
Apps (Sub)	35	27 (1)
Goals	36	12
Assists	2	6
Shots per game	5.2	2.4
Key passes per game	1.5	1.1
Dribbles per game	1.4	1.4
Aerial duels won per game	0.3	1.5

It'd be a huge boost for Chelsea if they were able to land Higuain. There aren't many players in world football who have sharper penalty-box instincts than the Argentina man. He's so adept at finding space, and once Higuain has shaken off the attentions of a defender, the ball typically ends up in the back of the net.

The former Real Madrid man does have a reputation for coming up short in the big moments, though, as sports journalist Liam Canning noted:

Nevertheless, the Blues would certainly take 36 league goals in a heartbeat. What they may be concerned about is spending such a huge amount of money on a footballer who won't have much longevity at the point of the attack.

In addition, the 28-year-old seems content in Naples. His team qualified for next season's UEFA Champions League on the back of his goals, and the Partenopei will feel confident of challenging for the Serie A title next term.

While the future does look bright for the Blues under new manager Antonio Conte, a move to Stamford Bridge would be a big leap into the unknown for Higuain.