Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi has been reportedly tipped to complete a move back to Marseille on a loan deal in the January transfer window
French publication Le 10 Sport have sensationally claimed Chelsea summer signing Michy Batshuayi to complete a return to Ligue 1 outfit Marseille. The club agreed on the sale of the Belgian international in the summer transfer window to Chelsea for a fee of £33m but, as per the report, the striker could be set to return to the club in January, albeit on a loan deal.
Le 10 Sport have speculated that, as per the news received from Times, Michy Batshuayi’s arrival was not in Antonio Conte’s transfer plans and the Belgian was instead brought to Stamford Bridge by Chelsea’s Sporting director Michael Emenalo.
The 23-year-old is yet to earn a start for the club in the Premier League and has only played 53 minutes of league football for the Blues. The Italian manager’s reluctance to play the forward more often in spite of the Belgian’s impressive record of 1 goal and 1 assist in only 53 minutes of game time could very well be seen as an indication that the player does not appear to be a part of the manager’s first-team core (stats via whoscored).
As per reports, Marseille have successfully undergone a takeover and with new ownership in place, the club can now afford to offer players high wages. The report has hinted that the club could try to secure the services of Diego Costa or Michy Batshuayi but, given the current situation, a deal for Michy is more likely to succeed than one for his fellow forward.
Even if the 23-year-old is not in Conte’s current plans, Chelsea, owing to the lack of depth in the forward position, are likely to not agree to a permanent deal to part with the player and thus the report of a loan move looks more plausible. The loan move will provide Batshuayi with regular top-flight football to continue his development.
Also, looking at the long-term picture, Chelsea youngster Tammy Abraham has been on fire for Championship side Bristol City, where he is on a season-long loan. The young striker was reported to have impressed Conte during the pre-season and the Italian might just prefer to promote the youth next season.
For now, though, Michy Batshuayi must bide his time and impress in the given minutes in the hope of securing a more significant role in the first-team setup under Antonio Conte, and if it fails to yield positive results come January, the 23-year-old might just agree to a return to his former club, Marseille, in search for regular first-team football.
