Manchester City and Chelsea have been linked with the in-demand Argentine, will Manchester United enter the bidding too?
Real Madrid striker Higuain’s CV should make him the most desired striker in Europe, especially as it appears Madrid are keen to sell him this summer.
He has 21 goals in 16 La Liga starts this season, and 29 in 24 in all competitions. That doesn’t tell the whole story of his season though, as he has made an additional 24 appearances from the bench, but it remains a thoroughly impressive strike rate.
Madrid have consistently preferred Karim Benzema in attack with Cristiano Ronaldo, and after their Champions League failure, they will spend big this summer to re-invent their forward line.
Higuain, scorer of four at the last World Cup, is already the odd one out, and word is he has already been advised to find a new club, with French side PSG among his suitors.
Chelsea have been heavily linked, and for them the move makes perfect sense. No matter the cost they could afford him, and at 24 he could be the perfect replacement for Didier Drogba.
A Torres-Higuain partnership has the potential to set the Premier League alight if the Spaniard can replicate the form which saw him bag a hat-trick against QPR yesterday.
Madrid though are in the enviable position of holding the cards in this transfer battle. When you add Manchester City into the equation, he could be part-exchanged for Edin Dzeko or Carlos Tevez. Madrid really want Sergio Aguero, and would no doubt try to make this happen, although City would be reluctant to sell their star man after just one season.
Manchester United could be surprise bidders for Higuain’s signature. According to reports from Spain, Higuain’s agent has received approaches from Chelsea, PSG, City, and United.
When you think about it, it really shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. United have made no secret of their desire to sign a fourth striker this summer to replace Berbatov, and the Argentine goalscorer fits the bill.
As always, it will come down to money. Talk of an approach from United could well just be agent talk, trying to hype up his player to get the best deal possible, or it could be genuine.
How much money do United have to spend on a striker? Surely £30 million strikers are luxuries when what the club really needs is a new midfield?
If United had a pot of £100 million to spend on new players then we’d say go for it. Higuain is only 24 and will likely score more than 100 goals for his next club wherever he goes. But if they really don’t have that sort of money, more than likely, he’d be a luxury they can’t afford.
It looks so far like Chelsea and PSG are the teams most likely to sign him, they along with City are the ones willing to pay ‘crazy money’ if a bidding war ensues and would likely offer a wage above the level United would.
But if the desire is there from United to make the deal happen, don’t rule it out. City have been quiet on a deal, and the momentum for this one is with Chelsea.
We expect him to be pitching up at Stamford Bridge or in Paris next season, and probably not Manchester.
Where do you think Higuain should sign, would you like to see your club sign him?
image: © Jan S0L0
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