Chelsea Reportedly Close to Signing Gonzalo Higuain With Maurizio Sarri Arrival Imminent

Despite not actually being Chelsea manager yet, Maurizio Sarri is reportedly pulling strings behind the scenes to try and bring Gonzalo Higuain to Stamford Bridge.

The sensational rumours that Cristiano Ronaldo could be on his way to Juventus are dominating the Bianconeri-related headlines and the Italian champions could sell Higuain to partly fund the transfer.

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If Sportmediaset (via Fox Sports) is to be believed, Chelsea are very keen on Higuain and are closer to completing a deal than one might have thought, to the extent that the Argentine could be announced at the same time as - or shortly after - Sarri.

Antonio Conte is still Chelsea manager at the time of writing but reliable sources have claimed that the Sarri appointment is imminent and could be completed within the next few days.

Higuain's last season at Napoli coincided with Sarri's first at the club and it was the most prolific campaign of the Argentine's career. He scored 38 goals in all competitions, including 36 in 35 Serie A games, which earned him a move to Juventus.

Sarri is keen on reuniting with Higuain and Juve will be prepared to let the 30-year-old leave for €60m. With the best years of his career now behind him, Juve are happy to cash in on Higuain while they still can.

The seemingly inevitable appointment of Sarri has also seen the Daniele Rugani rumours resurface. Rugani played under Sarri at Empoli and was linked to Chelsea earlier this summer.

A lot will depend on what happens with Ronaldo. If he does move to Juventus, it may have a major knock-on effect which could be highly beneficial to Chelsea.