Higuain wants to stay at Chelsea beyond this season

Gonzalo Higuain admits he would like to stay at Chelsea beyond the 2018-19 season.

The 31-year-old has scored three goals in 12 appearances in all competitions since joining from Juventus on loan in January.

Chelsea have the option to extend the loan by a further 12 months for a fee of €18million, and the striker is now eager to finish the campaign as well as possible in order to earn the chance to stay at Stamford Bridge.

“I’m happy here,” he told Chelsea’s official website. “It’s always nice to try a new league and it’s my first taste of the Premier League.

“Obviously, it’s a period where I’m adapting, but I’m hoping that, although I’ve only got a short time, I can finish well. The best thing we can do is qualify for the Champions League and hopefully win the Europa League, too.

“We’re coming towards the end [of the season], so it’s about finishing as strongly as possible. The main objective is to finish in the top four, so we can play in the Champions League and also to encourage other players to come and play for the club. That’s what the squad are hoping for, so that we can add players next season, and to finish the season well and make people happy.

 pic.twitter.com/whG7xbwtGn

— Gonzalo Higuaín (@G_Higuain) January 24, 2019

“From a personal point of view, I want to do as well as I can, so I can be here for next season. That’s my intention.

“I came here, and I wanted to stay. It’s a good city, you live well, and you can be relaxed but also enjoy yourself. So, my intention is to stay here.”

Higuain’s future could be complicated by a FIFA-imposed transfer ban, which prohibits Chelsea from registering new signings until January 2020.

The club were punished for breaking rules relating to the signing of under-18 players from overseas, although they have appealed.

FIFA confirmed last month that the ban would not be frozen during Chelsea’s appeal process, a decision that “astonished” the club.

“So far as the club is aware, in all previous cases where a registration ban has been imposed by FIFA, a decision has also been made to suspend the sanction until the appeal process has been completed,” Chelsea said in a statement.

“In this case, Chelsea considers that it is being treated inconsistently in comparison with other European clubs.”