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Report: Chelsea agree to sign Higuain on loan with option to buy

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Chelsea reached an agreement with Juventus on Wednesday to sign Gonzalo Higuain on a season-long loan with an option to buy, according to The Guardian's Fabrizio Romano.

The deal allows Chelsea to extend the loan by another season if Higuain achieves certain performance-related bonuses.

Romano adds that AC Milan - who paid €18 million to acquire Higuain on loan for the 2018-19 campaign - are also prepared to let the Argentine leave.

Higuain's move to Chelsea would set into motion in a carousel of transfers. Alvaro Morata is reportedly on his way to Atletico Madrid, while Genoa star Krzysztof Piatek is a candidate to replace Higuain at Milan.

In another twist, Romano reports that Chelsea outcast Michy Batshuayi could join Milan if a deal for Piatek falls through.

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri reportedly pushed the club to sign Higuain, whom he coached at Napoli for one season. The 31-year-old broke the single-season Serie A scoring record under Sarri's tutelage.

Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia apparently had reservations about the move, owing to the club's refusal to give players over 30 long-term contracts. But the club backed Sarri on this deal, The Telegraph's Matt Law reports, reaching a happy compromise by signing Higuain without a significant financial commitment.

Chelsea will reportedly pay Higuain's entire wages but without the burden of a fixed transfer fee.

Higuain's short time at Milan ended with a cameo appearance off the bench in the Supercoppa Italiana against parent club Juventus. Manager Gennaro Gattuso said the striker suffered from a fever in the build-up to the match.

Milan had the option to buy Higuain at the end of the season for an additional €36 million. He scored just eight goals in 20 appearances for the Rossoneri.

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