Chelsea: Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain rejected January move to Stamford Bridge over starting role

Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain rejected a move to Chelsea in the recently concluded January transfer window after not being guaranteed a starting role despite his impressive form for the Serie A club this season. The Blues were keen to recruit a striker before the end of the season and finally settled on Alexandre Pato, who joined on a six-month loan deal from Brazilian club Corinthians.

According to the Daily Mail, Guus Hiddink refused to guarantee the Argentinean striker a starting role ahead of current first choice Diego Costa, which led to the former Real Madrid star rejecting a move to Stamford Bridge. The report also claims that the Blues approached a number of striker targets as they looked to bolster their attack, but were rebuffed by many.

The 28-year-old forward is leading the race for the Golden Shoe, which is handed out at the end of the season to the top goal scorer in Europe and will be keen to be the leading front man at any club he plays at. Napoli are currently top of the Serie A, and would have been reluctant to let their top marksman, who has scored 24 goals in as many league games, leave midway through a crucial campaign. The club reportedly values him upwards of £40m ($58m) and the report suggests that the reigning Premier League champions were willing to meet their asking price.

Apart from Chelsea, London rivals Arsenal were also interested in signing the forward before he joined Napoli from Real Madrid but the Blues are now leading the race for the forward, and according the Mirror, they have made the free scoring forward their number one target for the summer transfer window.