The transfer saga of Gonzalo Higuain, once thought to be a completed deal and simply awaiting the blessing of Carlo Ancelotti shortly after settling into his new office deep within the confines of the Bernabeu, took an unexpected turn a couple weeks ago and there might be a reason why Arsenal appeared to have turned their attention towards Merseyside: Real Madrid have told suitors Napoli and Arsenal that the asking price for Higuain is £37 million, far more than the rumored £23 million Arsenal supposedly agreed with Madrid before all hell broke loose. Of course, if this is true, then the fee is still £3 million less than Suarez's contract buyout, but this obviously means that Arsene Wenger clearly rates Suarez the better and more preferable option - if only one of the two are purchased this summer, that is.
With Madrid setting a price on Higuain, this means that he's not exactly a guy they can't part ways with as was once thought with some of the comments Florentino Perez made shortly after Ancelotti's arrival. Now that Edinson Cavani's out the door in Napoli and safely in Paris, that means there's one less player on the market and, now, an inflated, somewhat-artificial demand for strikers. Cue up...Chelsea!
Jose Mourinho has apparently, according to "sources", told Higuain's representatives that he wants him to make the same trek to Stamford Bridge.
Note the source, however; AS are basically Madrid's dirty transfer market lowlife goons who fail to disguise their loyalties to the club. If Madrid's going to sell Higuain, the best option is to involve multiple clubs, even if that means starting a fictitious bidding war. Finding a way to get demand and more clubs interested requires news, factual or not, that the player is wanted by many different parties and AS has been the perfect vehicle for Madrid to increase the value of a player by simply inventing "sources close to the situation."
Whether there's truth rooted in the quotes from the AS article or not, it doesn't take a genius to figure out why, if Wenger has rated Suarez above Higuain all along, he would simply walk away from a deal that once had air of inevitability but now seems like a distant reminder of past failed transfer negotiations. Here's to hoping Wenger finds the waters in the Northwest a bit calmer and transparent.