Chelsea have reportedly put a £40m price-tag on striker Michy Batshuayi as he faces a potential exit this summer with West Ham Utd said to be keen on the Belgian ace.
It’s been a struggle for the 26-year-old to establish himself as a key figure for the Blues since he joined them in 2016, as he has made just 77 appearances for the club.
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In those outings, he’s still managed 25 goals despite playing a bit-part role, but having also been shipped out on loan to Borussia Dortmund, Valencia and Crystal Palace, he has never really cemented his place in Chelsea’s plans.
With that in mind, it’s arguably no real surprise that he continues to be linked with an exit from Stamford Bridge, with The Express reporting that Chelsea want £40m to green light an exit for the Belgian international this summer.
It’s added that West Ham, Palace and Newcastle Utd are three sides interested in him, with the Hammers at the front of the queue, but they could all find it very difficult to justify splashing out £40m on Batshuayi this summer especially given the financial fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.
From a Chelsea perspective, it’s an exit that makes sense for Frank Lampard given Sky Sports reported last week that they have agreed a deal in principle to sign RB Leipzig’s prolific forward Timo Werner, and with his release clause standing at £49.4m, it would be a fantastic way for the Blues to balance the books and ultimately help fund the swoop for the German international.
That said, given Werner certainly warrants such a price-tag given he’s scored 92 goals and provided 40 assists in 155 games for Leipzig, it’s difficult to make the argument that Batshuayi is worth just £9m or so less given his struggles to prove his worth in the Premier League.
Time will tell if a compromise can be reached between Chelsea and any of the interested parties, but an exit does seem like the sensible solution for all concerned this summer as the bit-part Belgian is only likely to fall further down the pecking order if Werner does indeed arrive to compete with Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud.