Juventus have ruled out the possibility of Gonzalo Higuain joining Chelsea this month to serve Maurizio Sarri with a huge blow in the January transfer window.
Sarri is not convinced by Alvaro Morata or Olivier Giroud and is desperate to sign a new striker to bolster Chelsea’s chances of claiming a top-four finish this season.
The Italian missed out on a reunion with Higuain in the summer after the Argentina international chose to join AC Milan on loan.
Higuain has struggled to hit the heights expected in Milan and there were suggestions in the build up to January that Chelsea were attempting to prise him away.
Chelsea proposed cutting Higuain’s loan deal short in order to sign the 31-year-old and even offered to sent Morata to Milan as compensation.
However, Juventus’ sporting director, Fabio Paratici, has confirmed Higuain will not be joining Chelsea as Milan want to keep him.
“He remains one of the best strikers in the world, he showed it in these seasons in Europe, he scored everywhere,” the London Evening Standard quotes Paratici as saying.
“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 with great enthusiasm. It can happen even to the best players not to score for four or five games.”
Sarri vented his frustrations at Chelsea’s transfer policy after their 0-0 draw at home to Southampton on Wednesday and news Higuain is not a viable option this month will only compound his misery further.
Higuain scored in Milan’s final match of 2018 to end a nine-game spell without a goal in all competitions for the club, during which he was sent off against Juventus.
The veteran striker finished the first half of the Serie A campaign with six goals in 15 league appearances, three shy of his total at the same stage of last season.
