Gonzalo Higuain is returning to Juventus after his disastrous spell at Chelsea has finally come to an end. The Argentinian front man, who managed just five goals in 18 appearances for the Blues since his arrival to Stamford Bridge in January, will now once again reunite with Maurizio Sarri in Turin.
Despite facing a transfer ban, Chelsea have opted not to trigger their option to sign Higuain permanently this summer. The 31-year-old's time in England was far from memorable, as he found it extremely difficult getting to grips with the speed and intensity of the Premier League.
He looked far from comfortable leading the line, frequently looking off the pace, especially against the divisions bigger sides - notably Manchester City, when the Blues were humiliated 6-0 at the Etihad in early-February.
Higuain will now look to break back into the starting line-up at the Allianz Stadium, though it could prove to be an incredibly difficult task with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Moise Kean, Federico Bernardeschi and Paulo Dybala all head of him in the pecking order in Turin.
It is widely known just how highly Sarri rates the former Real Madrid striker, though, after overseeing his most prolific spell in front of goal whilst in charge of Napoli in 2015-16, where the South American forward finished as Serie A's top goalscorer on 36 goals.
The whole reason Higuain moved to Chelsea in the first place was down to the level of trust Sarri had in his former employee. It was a bizarre move that never really made sense considering Higuain's age and lack of experience in the Premier League; it was a risk that unfortunately never paid off.
Higuain's brother and agent, Nicolas, said that he [Gonzalo] wanted to see out the rest of his career with the Italian champions.
"Gonzalo wants to respect his contract and therefore stay with Juventus for another two years," he told Radio Marte last week.
"His performances at Juve have been good and playing for another team in Italy isn't a workable solution.
"I don't want to disrespect anyone, but if Gonzalo plays in Italy again then he only will for Juve, who own him.
"I think this could be Gonzalo's year. He has so much strength and determination, and he wants to end his career at Juve," he added.
Higuain isn't the only player departing Stamford Bridge, as the club have also bid farewell to former captain Gary Cahill, reserve goalkeeper Rob Green and 21-year-old midfielder Kyle Scott.
