Milan Drop Higuain As Exit Nears

AC Milan ‘s decision to drop Gonzalo Higuain from the squad ahead of the clash with Genoa has fuelled talk that he will join Chelsea. The 31-year-old Argentinian forward has been heavily linked with a switch to Chelsea in this January transfer window despite the fact he is currently in the middle of a loan spell with Milan from their Serie A rivals Juventus.

However, with Juve desperate to cash-in on Higuain and the player keen to link up with his former Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri at Stamford Bridge, it appears that a move to the Premier League is edging ever closer.

When asked about a possible deal ahead of his side’s defeat at Arsenal on Saturday, Sarri said: “I am confident because I know [director] Marina [Granovskaia[ is working very hard, but I don’t know the market at all. “I want to be focused on the matches. So I don’t call her every evening, otherwise I spend all my mental energy on the market. I think it’s better if I spend all my mental energies on the pitch.”

And Milan coach Gennaro Gattuso has now revealed that Higuaín will not play any part in Monday’s Serie A clash against Genoa.

He said: “I want to be honest with you all. We had a poor training session today due to all these rumours. We spoke after the training session and I did not consider him ready for this game.”

And hinting at an imminent exit, he added: “I accept his decision. Surely he could have done more and maybe we could have helped him fit in better.”