Crystal Palace want to bring Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi back to Selhurst Park when the transfer market reopens in 2020.
Batshayi spent the second half of the 2018-19 season on loan at Palace and impressed for Roy Hodgson’s side, scoring five goals in 11 Premier League appearances.
The Belgian returned to Chelsea in the summer, but he has found first-team opportunities hard to come by at the start of the new season, with Frank Lampard using Tammy Abraham as his first-choice centre-forward.
According to the Daily Mail, the out-of-favour Chelsea star has been identified as a January transfer target by a fellow London club, with Hodgson eager to re-sign a former charge to bolster his attacking ranks.
Palace are hoping to capitalise on Batshuayi’s contract situation, with his existing deal at Stamford Bridge set to expire in 2021.
The longer he spends on the sidelines the more his market value will drop and Chelsea might be tempted to cash in before he becomes a free agent.
Batshuayi has proven he can score goals in the Premier League when playing week in week out, but at the moment, there is no chance of him knocking Abraham out of the Chelsea line up.
The 22-year-old has netted eight goals in eight matches this term, emerging as one of English football’s brightest young prospects.
World Cup winner Olivier Giroud is also vying for a spot in Lampard’s set up, which means Batshuayi’s contribution may end up being restricted to cup competitions as the year progresses.
The Belgium international would be welcomed back at Palace with open arms, but it is not yet clear whether Chelsea will be willing to sanction his departure while they continue to serve a transfer ban.
