Gunners had been hoping to land the marksman this month.
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Everton look like beating Premier League rivals Arsenal to the signature of coveted young Standard Liege front man Michy Batshuayi in the January transfer window, according to reports in the Sunday Mirror.
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The Belgium Under-21 international has been tracked by a whole host of big-name clubs from across the Continent of late, with last season’s Uefa Champions League runners-up Borussia Dortmund having joined both the Gunners and the Toffees in recently scouting Batshuayi after the brilliant form that the front man has displayed for his club so far in this campaign.
In total, Batshuayi has managed to register an impressive 18 goals and six assists so far in his 37 matches in all competitions for both club and country, including an equally eye-catching 14 strikes and three assists in his 21 league outings for Standard.
And it is those kind of attacking numbers from the 20-year-old that have resulted in a three-way fight to land Batshuayi before the winter transfer window slams shut for business for this campaign at the end of the month.
However, it now appears as though it will be Everton coach Roberto Martinez who wins the race for the Belgium attacking starlet with the Merseyside giants understood to be prepared to pay the £7m release clause in the player’s contract with Standard.