Chelsea 'Eye January Swap Deal' for Milan Striker & Long-Term Target Gonzalo Higuain

Chelsea are reportedly exploring the possibility of striking a January deal for AC Milan striker Gonzalo Higuain, a player the cub were said to be keen on in summer, that could see Stamford Bridge flop Alvaro Morata head to Italy in the opposite direction.

Morata has only scored 22 goals in all competitions since joining Chelsea for a then club record £60m fee 18 months ago. He has long been rumoured to be unsettled in London and craving a return to Italy, where he previously spent two successful seasons with Juventus.

GLYN KIRK/GettyImages

Higuain, meanwhile, starred for Maurizio Sarri when the two worked together at Napoli.

Chelsea failed to land Higuain in summer, with the Argentine winding up at Milan after the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo forced him out of Juventus. But the interest from Chelsea seemingly hasn't ended and Sky Spots Italia reporter Angelo Mangiante claims a January approach is possible.

The Premier League side are apparently attempting to gauge whether a deal is of interest to Milan, with Morata added into the equation. Helpfully, the Spanish international was heavily linked with Milan in the summer before the Rossoneri wound up signing Higuain instead.

Any such deal promises to be complicated, though. Milan do not yet own Higuain after paying an €18m loan fee. They have the option to buy for an extra €36m, payable in two instalments, but for now the player still technically belongs to Juventus.

Aside from Morata, Olivier Giroud is currently the only other recognised striker in the Chelsea first team squad. Sarri has been experimenting with Eden Hazard as a 'false nine', a positional switch that is said to be driving the club's rumoured interest in Real Madrid outcast Isco.