Michy Batshuayi (Getty Images)
According to Football.london (h/t The Express), Chelsea are interested in selling Michy Batshuayi but demand around £10million for any potential transfer. The Chelsea striker spent this season out on loan at Crystal Palace. However, he still has one year left on his current contract that expires next year.
The Belgian striker, according to the report, has ‘at least one top-half Premier League club interested in him. That should come as good news for the Blues because Batshuayi is clearly not in Thomas Tuchel’s long-term plans. Here, we see why it’s smart for the Blues to sell Batshuayi once and for all.
It is clear that Chelsea do not see Batshuayi as the man to lead their line right now. This is also why Frank Lampard would have sent him out on loan to Palace last year. Even now, if the report is to be believed, Chelsea putting him up for sale indicates that Thomas Tuchel does not want him in the Blues’ frontline.
And if the German gaffer does not want him at the club, it is wise to do away with him in this transfer window as he is out of contract next summer. And as he nears the end of it, the Belgian could see himself leave as a free agent. This is why it is better for Chelsea to make money off him while they still can.
There is a reason why the Blues want to sell him. Batshuayi’s scoring statistics are not that of an elite striker. Yes, Timo Werner has been underwhelming on the goal-scoring front but Batshuayi is not the man for Chelsea to add to their ranks, especially now that Olivier Giroud has signed a new contract at the club.
Let us see some of his stats from this season. He scored 2 goals in 20 games for Palace, which is by no means impressive. Tammy Abraham has gradually lost manager Thomas Tuchel’s trust even after being the club’s joint top-scorer this season. So it is hard to see how Batshuayi would get into the team over Abraham.
Apart from that, the Belgian’s work rate has also been suspect at Chelsea, with pundit Paul Merson noting that the Belgian striker doesn’t even look ‘interested‘ in a Chelsea shirt, back in 2018.
The Blues should try and sell Batshuayi in this window, preferably after Euros 2020 to see if a good showing for Belgium drives his price up. But if they wait longer than that, they risk losing him on a free. Any fee that they get for the 27-year-old Belgian could also be put towards buying a new striker.
The Blues are linked with the deadly Erling Braut Haaland and former Chelsea striker, Romelu Lukaku. They would cost a pretty penny but their numbers speak for themselves. And that is why Chelsea should aim to get Batshuayi off their books in order to make room for any striker who could potentially come in.
Even if the Blues don’t sign one, Batshuayi does not seem like the striker who can lead the line for years to come. It’s wise to get as much money for him as they can in order to make up for the £33million fee (with add-ons) that they agreed to pay for him back in 2016.
