Arsenal have been dealt another blow in their chase for Real Madrid forward Gonzalo Higuain, with the Argentine international claiming Chelsea and Jose Mourinho are interested in bringing him to Stamford Bridge.
The Gunners were thought to have as good as sealed the signature of the 25-year-old striker a few weeks back, before Real's refusal to agree a fee with the English Premier League side put a serious spanner in the works.
Napoli recently confirmed they had made a bid for Higuain, who has now been valued at an immense €40 million (£34.4 million, $52.4 million) by Real Madrid.
According to Spanish newspaper AS, Higuain is quoted as telling his closest advisors that he is a target for the Chelsea manager. "Mourinho wants me there," the Argentine said.
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis also confirmed Chelsea's interest in Higuain. "Now, we have Chelsea involved, as well as Arsenal," he is quoted as saying by Tuttomercato.
Tired of the constant haggling over a fee, Arsenal are thought to have turned their attentions to the likes of Luis Suarez of Liverpool and Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney, who is also a target for Chelsea.
In fact the Blues had a bid turned down by United for Rooney, and Mourinho even said that Rooney was his only target in the striking role this summer.
However, if the Rooney move poses to be a problem, then Mourinho could go back to his former club, with Higuain making his intentions clear about wanting a move away from Real.
Arsenal have so far been left frustrated in their efforts to sign a new striker -- a marquee one at that -- and who they end up with could depend on how Chelsea go about their transfer business.
Wenger insisted Arsenal could afford Rooney's wages of £250,000 a week ($381,000) and the North London club could go head to head with Chelsea over the United's man's signature.
United might even be more inclined to sell Rooney to Arsenal than to Chelsea, with Wenger selling Robin Van Persie to the Premier League champs last summer, and also due to the fact that Arsenal have not seriously threatened for the Premier League title over the last few years.
That could all change of course, if Wenger can pull off a stunning coup by landing either Suarez or Rooney, or even both - now that indeed could be a stunning partnership.
