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.’