AC Milan 'Want to Keep' Juventus Loanee Gonzalo Higuain

AC Milan "want to keep" Juventus loanee Gonzalo Higuain, at least beyond the January transfer window. Juve sporting director Fabio Paratici discussed Higuain's immediate future with the Rossoneri amid rumours the 31-year-old is a target for Premier League side Chelsea this winter.

Higuain is on a season-long loan with the Bianconeri's Serie A rivals Milan. Even so, Paratici remains confident about the Argentinian's ability, per Simon Johnson of the London Evening Standard:

"He remains one of the best strikers in the world, he showed it in these seasons in Europe, he scored everywhere. About his future, I think he’s important for AC Milan, he's a great striker and they want to keep him.

"I know very well Gonzalo, he is a simple and passionate guy who lives every situation with great enthusiasm. It can happen even to the best players not to score for four or five games."

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Johnson revealed how Chelsea had spoken with both Juve and the Rossoneri about engineering a deal for the prolific striker. However, the Blues sought a short-term contract, while Milan can pay £32 million to sign Higuain permanently at the end of the season.

Chelsea didn't want to make the same commitment, according to Johnson.

Juve would likely prefer Milan keep Higuain long enough to pay the clause to make his deal permanent. The Bianconeri have little need for the player with Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic and Cristiano Ronaldo up front.

As for Chelsea, the Blues' reticence regarding signing Higuain for the long haul makes little sense. Maurizio Sarri has seen his side's title chances scuppered by struggles up top.

A 0-0 draw at home to Southampton on Wednesday has even dented Chelsea's top-four hopes. The Stamford Bridge club are now only a mere three points ahead of London rivals Arsenal in fifth and six above Manchester United.

An inability to finish in front of goal is becoming common:

It's also a problem prompting Sarri to ask for a new striker, per Press Association's Matt McGeehan (h/t MailOnline): "We have to try to solve the problem of the last 15, 20 metres."

Higuain fits as a potential remedy for Chelsea's inconsistencies in the final third. While both Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud have lacked composure, Higuain is a more refined finisher.

He's decisive with his chances and can usually be trusted to make the most of one-on-one situations. Those qualities helped Higuain score for fun during prolific spells with Real Madrid, Napoli and Juve.

Things haven't quite followed the same pattern in Milan, though. Higuain has found the net just eight times in all competitions. He's also on a barren run of just one goal in his last six matches.

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Milan sporting director Leonardo admitted last month how "it is difficult to manage a striker when he doesn’t score," per The Sun's Wally Downes Jr.

However, Leonardo also said how valuable Higuain is to Milan's season. Paratici's latest comments only reaffirm this view and make it highly unlikely Chelsea will be able to sign a player who would surely solve the club's growing woes in attacking areas.