Chelsea, Real Madrid talk Higuain, claim Sky Italia

I've been waiting for a while for Chelsea to be linked to Gonzalo Higuain. It makes far too much sense for us not to be -- he's a forward on the move, has work with Jose Mourinho extensively and having apparently lost out in the race to sign Edinson Cavani the club seems to be scrambling to secure another centre forward. And so, here it is:

Chelsea also have contacted Real Madrid for Higuain, according to Sky Italy

— Tancredi Palmeri (@tancredipalmeri) July 15, 2013

Some skepticism is in order. First of all, it's Sky Italia, who despite their Pep Guardiola to Bayern Munich scoop still aren't particularly trustworthy. Second, this rumour is so obvious that it's almost inevitable that someone will make it up. I could have said 'Chelsea in for Higuain' last week and it'd be all over the papers right now.

But it's still worth talking about, because Higuain is a fascinating player. He divides opinion like few other strikers, with many observers fundamentally unimpressed with the Argentinian despite his strike rate with Real Madrid. His price -- somewhere between €30 and 40 million (plus wages) is certainly a stumbling block in any transfer as well. I'd be interested at €20, but unless we get desperate, I don't see this happening without us overpaying.