Chelsea are interested in signing Gonzalo Higuain from Juventus this summer, although progress is slow. The Blues have new manager Maurizio Sarri in place and the boss is keen to work with his former players.
He has already signed Jorginho from Napoli this summer and Higuain could follow. AC Milan are also interested in the Argentina international. And Juventus chief Beppe Marotta has revealed the £105m arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo means one of the forwards will likely be sold.
I won’t deny that with the addition of Cristiano Ronaldo we’ve got a quality attacking department that’s a bit crowded,” Marotta told Sky Sport Italia [football-italia].
However, the general manager added that Chelsea are yet to launch an offer.
“We’ll evaluate things with Higuain, but nothing concrete has arrived from Chelsea and Milan,” he added.
There are claims Milan and Juve could strike a deal whereby Leonardo Bonucci moves from the San Siro back to Turin.
And in return Higuain could find himself representing the Rossoneri next season.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival at Juventus has been the signing of the summer, but the Serie A club may have to sell one of its best players to ensure it remains compliant with UEFA’s financial fair play regulations.
Juventus paid Real Madrid $130 million to buy Ronaldo and the deal had an immediate impact, as the club’s stock price popped almost 40% , its social media portals attracted millions of new followers , and the club sold 520,000 Ronaldo jerseys (approximately $62.4 million in revenue) in 24 hours.
When Ronaldo, a 33-year-old athlete, completed his medical evaluation at the club, Juventus discovered something extraordinary — he apparently had the fitness of a 20-year-old player as he had below average body fat, above average muscle mass, and could record incredible sprint speeds.
All of the news appeared positive — not only had Juventus completed a blockbuster deal, it may have got tremendous value for money, too.
However, renowned auditor KPMG believes the $130 million signing may come at a cost . This is because Juventus may have to sell a key asset like experienced striker Gonzalo Higuaín or young forward Paulo Dybala in order to remain on the right side of UEFA regulations.
In a 20-page document called “Ronaldo Economics,” KPMG reports that “Juventus needs to abide by specific rules” to be “compliant with UEFA Regulations.”
It said: “One of the most stringent ones is the ‘break-even’ rule, which requires them to report a maximum accumulated loss of €30 million over the course of the three latest financial years.” Ronaldo’s transfer is a “heavy burden” to that rule.
What this means is simple. After buying Ronaldo, Juventus must now sell at least one of its big-name players.
“The arrival of Ronaldo in Turin might imply the disposal of one or more players by Juventus, providing an immediate source of funding,” KPMG said.