HIGUAIN’S IN DERBY RUSH
GONZALO HIGUAIN will fly into London today to seal his loan move to Chelsea.
And Blues boss Maurizio Sarri hopes to have the Argentine striker signed in time to select him on the bench against Arsenal tomorrow.
Juventus star Higuain, 31, is due to arrive for his medical but must sign on the dotted line before the noon deadline in order to be eligible for the derby clash at the Emirates.
His arrival will pave the way for Spanish striker Alvaro Morata to move to Atletico Madrid on loan.
But Starsport has learned that the deal with Atletico contains an option to buy Morata (below) for just £26m next summer.
That would represent a big loss on a player who cost Chelsea £60m – although it’s understood that add-ons based on performance could push the price Atletico must pay a little higher.
Chelsea – who are also hoping to land Zenit St Petersburg midfielder Leandro Paredes for £31m – will pay Higuain’s wages in full. And they have also negotiated a deal to extend his loan by a further year.
That represents a small victory as Higuain’s current loan deal with AC Milan had included an option to buy at £32m. Significantly, Higuain is free to play for Chelsea in the Europa League, as – despite turning out in the competition for the San Siro outfit – a summer rule change means he will be eligible.
He can also play against Tottenham in next Thursday’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg – provided he is registered by Wednesday. Higuain has been Sarri’s top striker target since he replaced Antonio Conte.
The duo have a strong bond from working together at Napoli. And Sarri has made it clear to the Chelsea board that Higuain is needed, with Morata and France striker Olivier Giroud both struggling.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have offered Callum Hudson-Odoi a £70,000-a-week contract in a last-ditch bid to prevent the starlet from joining Bayern Munich.