Maurizio Sarri is on the verge of landing his top transfer target after Chelsea struck a deal to loan Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain for the remainder of the campaign, claims Sky Sports.
Sarri was desperate to sign Higuain last summer but missed on his signature to AC Milan and the Argentine later revealed it was due to the fact Sarri was the only one at Chelsea that wanted him.
Chelsea, however, have now decided to back their manager, which is not something they have always done in the past, and are poised to prise Higuain to Stamford Bridge.
Higuain was a substitute in Wednesday night’s Supercoppa Italiana defeat to parent club Juventus and is now expected to finalise his move to Chelsea.
Juventus wanted Chelsea to agree to the same loan terms as Milan, which would have meant the Blues making the deal permanent at the end of the season for £32m.
However, it has now been revealed that if certain conditions are met this season then Higuain’s loan stint at Chelsea will be extended by another 12 months.
Higuain’s impending arrival also paves the way for Alvaro Morata to complete a move back to Atletico Madrid.
The Spain international started his career at Atletico before eventually joining Real Madrid’s academy when he was 15.
Higuain previously worked with Sarri for one season at Napoli and that resulted in the 31-year-old enjoying his best ever season in front of goal, netting 36 goals in 35 league appearances in the 2015/16 campaign.
