Juventus Chief Gives Gonzalo Higuain Update Amid Chelsea Rumours
July 27, 2018
Chelsea have been given a boost in their pursuit of Gonzalo Higuain after Juventus general manager Giuseppe Marotta said the Old Lady's front line is now "a bit crowded" after the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo.
He revealed the Blues have yet to make an official offer for the Argentinian striker but hinted Juve are awaiting a bid, per Sky (via Football Italia): "I won't deny that with the addition of Cristiano Ronaldo we've got a quality attacking department that's a bit crowded. We'll evaluate things with Higuain, but nothing concrete has arrived from Chelsea and Milan."
Higuain, 30, was signed by Juventus from Napoli for £75.3 million two years ago, and he has been a big success in Turin, per Squawka:
However, after Ronaldo's arrival at Juve for £99.2 million on July 10, there is little doubt Higuain has moved down the pecking order, if not been comprehensively replaced.
The Portuguese superstar will not be prepared to share the No. 9 duties with Higuain, and the former Napoli man looks set for the exit door.
A move to Chelsea makes sense, not least because Higuain's former Napoli manager, Maurizio Sarri, has just taken the top job at Stamford Bridge.
In 2015-16, the one season Higuain played under Sarri at the Stadio San Paolo, he netted 36 goals in 35 Serie A appearances.
Chelsea need a marksman of Higuain's quality as their current first-choice striker, Alvaro Morata, has been something of a flop following his arrival from Real Madrid last summer.
The Spain international made an impressive start to life in the Premier League, netting six goals in his first six matches before the end of September, but he then added only five more to his tally in the entire campaign.
Per Sky in Italy (h/t Sky Sports News), AC Milan are interested in signing Morata this summer, and Chelsea have quoted them a fee of £62 million.