Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi was reportedly a target for Premier League strugglers Crystal Palace but he is heading to Monaco instead.
Michy Batshuayi would have been a very welcome addition at Crystal Palace.
The lack of a reliable goal-scorer is preventing the Eagles from soaring away from the Premier League relegation zone, with their profligacy there for all to see yet again as Roy Hodgson’s side slumped to a 2-1 home defeat against Watford at the weekend.
But Batshuayi will not be arriving on loan from Chelsea to bail Crystal Palace out. According to Sky, the Belgium international is set to follow Cesc Fabregas to Monaco after returning from a disappointing spell at Valencia.
And the Independent has now shed light on the situation, explaining why Batshuayi won’t be wearing Palace colours. It is claimed that Hodgson could not guarantee the 25-year-old the regular playing time that either he or Chelsea were demanding.
This seems a little strange, however, given the lack of striking options at Crystal Palace’s disposal. Surely Batshuayi would be a shoo-in to start ahead of Christian Benteke and Jordan Ayew, while Aleksandar Sorloth departed for KAA Gent earlier this month.
Batshuayi, a £33 million signing from Marseille in 2016 (the Guardian), struggled to prove himself at Chelsea.
Having said that, he did score seven goals in just four Premier League starts, including the strike that won Antonio Conte’s team the title almost two years ago.
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