French giants Paris St. Germain are planning a sensational move for Chelsea’s striker Michy Batshuayi. The Belgian has cut somewhat of a frustrated figure at the Stamford Bridge, having made the move from Olympique Marseille in the summer and the Les Parisiens are intent on taking him back to the Ligue 1 this January.
23-year old Batshuayi joined the current Premier League leaders in the summer for a reported fee of £33 million, having scored 17 goals for Marseille in 36 appearances, finishing as the club’s top scorer. However, things haven’t gone well for the Belgian in London as he has found game time hard to come by under Antonio Conte.
Diego Costa has been in hot streak for the Blues and is the top scorer in the league with 14 goals, due to which Batshuayi has had to spend a lot of time on the sidelines. The Belgian has failed to start a single match for the Londoners in the Premier League, but has made 12 substitute appearances, scoring one goal and setting up another one. He has shown impressive form in cup competitions, however, scoring 3 goals in 4 matches across FA Cup and EFL Cup.
And due to his reduced game time, plenty of clubs have been lining up to sign him up, with PSG the latest suitors in the list. And it makes sense for the Parisians to be chasing Batshuayi given their lack of options at the top. Edinson Cavani is the only out-and-out striker in the French Champions’ ranks with summer imports Hatem Ben Arfa and Jese Rodriguez having failed to set the Parc Des Princes alight.
However, should Chelsea enter negotiations with the French side? Should they look to ship off Batshuayi just six months into his first season?
NO.
While Costa has been nothing short of sensational this term, he continues to be linked with a move away to China. And his recent bust-up with the fitness coach and Antonio Conte, concerning an injury, has cast further dark clouds on his future at the Stamford Bridge with Chinese clubs willing to offer as much as £30 million per year in wages.
Even if Costa stays at the club, Chelsea do not have a proper backup striker in their ranks to deputize for the Spaniard at the moment. And given they are the front-runners for the title, it becomes more imperative that they hold on to Batshuayi at any costs.
Chelsea have been in a similar situation before, with another Belgian striker, Romelu Lukaku. After signing him for quite a big sum, Lukaku was never given the time to blossom at the Bridge and was sold to Everton for a handsome profit, where has developed into one of the finest strikers in the league and as a result, has been linked with a move back to Chelsea time and again.
Batshuayi has done decently in the limited opportunities that have been afforded to him and given Chelsea’s lack of options in the area, it would be foolish to push him out of the club, just as the business end of the season approaches.