It’s looking increasingly likely that Gonzalo Higuain will finally make his way to the Premier League this month after years of speculation and near-misses.
Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri is eager to reunite with his former Napoli star at Stamford Bridge and a deal worth upwards of £40million is edging closer.
Sarri wanted a new front-man when he took over at the Blues last summer and has been left unimpressed by current options Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud this season.
Morata joined from Higuain’s current parent club Juventus in 2017 for £60m but has found the going tough in England.
He could be replaced up top by the Argentine this month but would that really be best for Chelsea?
Gonzalo Higuain vs Alvaro Morata: Age and longevity
Higuain turned 31 years old last month, suggesting he is now past his prime. Should Chelsea offer him a lengthy deal, he would likely have little sell-on value further down the line.
Morata had his 26th birthday in October and should have his best years still ahead of him. He is under contract until June 2022 and the Blues would be able to demand a high fee for him.
Gonzalo Higuain vs Alvaro Morata: Wages
The two stars earn around the same weekly pay, pocketing £7million-a-season or £140,000-a-week.
Gonzalo Higuain vs Alvaro Morata: Goalscoring record
The Argentine beats his Spaniard rival hands down on the goalscoring front in recent seasons.
While Higuain is struggling on loan at AC Milan this season, his goal tally in Italy and Spain since 2009 has been superb.
In the last 10 seasons, he has scored 256 times across all competitions while at Real Madrid, Napoli and then Juventus.
Morata did achieve a 20-goal season with Real in 2016/17 but can’t match the numbers of Higuain. In his two years with Chelsea to date, he’s netted 24 goals in 72 outings.
Over his last six campaigns, he’s notched 80 goals, averaging 13 goals a season, around half what Higuain has achieved.
Gonzalo Higuain vs Alvaro Morata: Record this season
Higuain is currently on loan at Milan from Juve and has bagged eight goals in 20 appearances for the San Siro giants.
Morata, meanwhile, has scored nine goals in 24 appearances for Chelsea this season, scoring a double in their FA Cup win over Nottingham Forest last weekend.
Gonzalo Higuain vs Alvaro Morata: On the international stage
The two strikers have similar records for their countries with Morata edging it. Higuain has scored 31 goals in 75 caps for Argentina while Morata has 13 in 27 for Spain.
Both had summers to forget in 2018 as Higuain’s Argentina were dumped out at the group stage of the World Cup in Russia and Morata didn’t even make Spain’s squad.
