Michy Batshuayi reportedly available in January, but West Ham move seems unlikely now

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Chelsea’s Michy Batshuayi could leave in January – but a move to West Ham may now be unlikely.

According to The Telegraph, Chelsea are prepared to loan out Michy Batshuayi during the January transfer window, as they chase a striker with Premier League experience.

The Blues have seen summer Alvaro Morata impress since his move from Real Madrid, but the Spaniard is now out with a hamstring injury, which forced Batshuayi to start against Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Belgian international Batshuayi has rarely been given a regular chance under Antonio Conte, and he struggled at Selhurst Park before being replaced in favour of Pedro.

Now, The Telegraph claim that Conte wants to ship Batshuayi out on loan in January in favour of signing a Premier League striker such as Jamie Vardy or Christian Benteke – and one club who have been heavily linked with Batshuayi in recent times is West Ham United.

In the summer of 2016, Sky Sports reported that West Ham launched a huge bid for Batshuayi, only to lose out to Chelsea, with manager Slaven Bilic suggesting to the London Evening Standard that a deal became ‘impossible’.

The links to Batshuayi have continued, as the Daily Mail reported in January that West Ham were pursuing a loan deal for the striker, only for that to fall through, with the Daily Mail also claiming that the Hammers wanted a summer deal, which didn’t materialise either.

Now, with Batshuayi potentially on the Chelsea chopping block, West Ham could have a shot at finally signing one of Bilic’s long-term targets – but the window for a move to London Stadium may now have passed.

Bilic brought in Javier Hernandez over the summer, and he’s already struggling to jam him into the West Ham side alongside either Andy Carroll or Diafra Sakho, with another striker only complicating matters.

None of those strikers appear to be heading for the West Ham exit any time soon, and whilst it has been a problem position for the Hammers in recent years, Bilic now actually has a number of striking options at his disposal – making a move for Batshuayi seem somewhat unlikely, despite him allegedly becoming available again.