Chelsea are preparing a £35million summer bid for Real Madrid forward Gonzalo Higuain, according to The Sun.

The Stamford Bridge club have been long-term admirers of the Argentina international, who in the bigger games seems to start from the bench, with Jose Mourinho preferring to utilise Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema in attack.

With Higuain not a regular at the Santiago Bernabeu and the Blues eager to find a long-term replacement for ageing and out-of-contract striker Didier Drogba, Roman Abramovich is set to splash the cash once the transfer window reopens.

Higuain has scored 25 goals in 51 games this term with eight assists and has an overall record in Spain of 102 strikes in just 217 outings.

The Sun go on to state that Madrid will look to replace Higuain with countryman Sergio Aguero, who has impressed in his debut season at Manchester City.

By Gareth McKnight

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