Chelsea could send Gonzalo Higuain back to Juventus this summer, according to reports.
Higuain arrived at Chelsea in January after Maurizio Sarri had personally requested the Blues sign the forward.
Sarri worked with Higuain at Napoli and Chelsea agreed a loan deal with Juventus, with a view to extending the deal or signing the goalscorer permanently this summer.
But with Sarri’s future at the club up in the air and Higuain failing to get off to a flying start at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea are considering cutting short the South American’s stay.
Spanish outlet Marca claim Chelsea may refuse the option to extend Higuain’s loan deal until 2022, which would cost the club £16million.
Chelsea could also sign Higuain permanently in the summer for £35m, but the London club rarely spend big on players over the age of 30 and are weighing up the ‘awkward’ option of return the frontman to Italy early.
Higuain, who turns 32 in December, has scored three times in ten appearances for Chelsea since January, but the club’s league form continues to disappoint.
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Three defeats in seven games leave Chelsea three points adrift of fourth place and in serious danger of missing out on the Champions League for the second successive season.
Sarri’s potential sacking would severely weaken Higuain’s chances of staying at Chelsea, with some reports claiming the Italian is in danger of the axe during the international break.
Chelsea resume club action at the end of this month with an away trip to Cardiff in the Premier League.
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