Maurizio Sarri wants Gonzalo Higuain to be part of the Chelsea squad next season – if the club are able to sign him again.
Higuain joined on a short term loan deal from Juventus in January, but an option was included to extend it for another season or buy him permanently.
It is unclear whether the Blues can go ahead with either as things stand because they have been banned by Fifa from signing players for two windows, however they have appealed against the decision.
Their hearing takes place next Thursday and if they don’t get it overturned or delayed, they will take their case to Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Higuain has struggled to make an impact in English football anyway, scoring just three times for Chelsea so far and they were against the bottom two clubs Huddersfield and Fulham.
Yet Sarri is convinced Higuain is good enough to lead the line for the west London club next term.
When asked if he wanted to keep him, Sarri replied: “Yes of course, but it depends on the club, it depends on Juventus. It's not clear the situation at the moment.
“I think he needs time to improve his physical condition and time to be suitable for the Premier League. I think he is able to do it.
“He has to improve physically, mentally, but I think also he will be able to be very useful for us in the last part of the season.”
Sarri feels Higuain can emulate what Luis Suarez was able to achieve at Liverpool after initially failing to shine at Anfield when he arrived in January 2011.
Suarez scored just four times between January and May having joined from Ajax for £22.8m. The following campaign he improved to reach 17.
Sarri added: “You know very well that it's not easy in the first months to play in the Premier League. It was a problem also for Suarez in the first season at Liverpool.
“He scored only four goals. In the second season he scored 17 goals, so it's not easy, especially for a striker, to play immediately well in the Premier League.”
