Chelsea are pushing to sign AC Milan striker Gonzalo Higuain in time for the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday.

The Irish Independent says former Chelsea coach Antonio Conte was told Higuain, then aged 28, was too old and too expensive when he suggested signing the Argentine before he joined Juventus for £75.3million in 2016.

But Chelsea have backed Maurizio Sarri by agreeing to sign Higuain now, even though he is 31 and the initial four-month loan deal will cost more than £10m in fees and wages.

Sarri wants Chelsea to seal the deal quickly. His squad need a boost following the 2-0 defeat by Arsenal, after which he attacked his own players by claiming they were "extremely difficult to motivate".

He believes Higuain can give Chelsea a fresh impetus and help Eden Hazard return to his best from his favoured position on the left.