Gonzalo Higuain joined AC Milan from Juventus because he felt wanted by everyone at the club, whereas only Maurizio Sarri seemed keen to bring him to Chelsea.
Following Juve’s €112-million signing of Cristiano Ronaldo in July, Higuain quickly became the subject of transfer speculation, as he was seemingly ushered towards the exit.
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Chelsea, now coached by Higuain’s former Napoli boss Sarri, appeared to be favourites for a time to sign the striker as a replacement for Alvaro Morata, who struggled in his first season at Stamford Bridge.
But Milan made their move and ultimately secured an initial one-year loan for €18m with an option to buy for €36m, while Mattia Caldara and Leonardo Bonucci swapped clubs – the latter returning to Juve after just a season away.
Higuain has now revealed he had the impression Sarri was the only one at Chelsea pushing for his signature.
🇮🇹📍Piazza del Duomo, Milano
At the heart of our city with our amazing 🔴⚫ fans!
Nel cuore della nostra città con i nostri splendidi tifosi! 🔴⚫#GH9 #MC33 pic.twitter.com/kdjPE0aZ2e— AC Milan (@acmilan) August 3, 2018
‘The esteem I have for Sarri is great, but the only person who wanted me at Chelsea was him,’ Higuain told reporters at his Milan presentation on Friday.
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‘Instead, here at Milan, everyone wanted me, and this is the most beautiful thing you can hear as a player, that feeling that they really want you. This is why I made my choice to come here.’
There had been suggestions that a strained relationship with Massimiliano Allegri was part of the reason Higuain opted to depart, though he insists that is not the case, even if they did not always see eye-to-eye.
‘I worked alongside Allegri for a couple of years,’ Higuain said. ‘We had differences, but that did not result in me coming here, just the motivation Milan showed me.
#GH9 and #MC33 are at Milanello! 🔴⚫
What a warm welcome from a longtime friend! 🇦🇷
Gonzalo e Mattia sono a Milanello! 🔴⚫
Il benvenuto di Lucas Biglia all’amico @G_Higuain! 🇦🇷#weareacmilan pic.twitter.com/4LsfkuQpEi— AC Milan (@acmilan) August 3, 2018
‘I have a lot of confidence in this team. I enjoyed how they played last season. I have represented clubs who’ve always aimed to win, and Milan have always aimed to win.
‘The aim is to get Milan winning again. I am really happy to be here.’
