CHELSEA’S £33m DEAL FOR MICHY

CHELSEA have agreed a £33.2million deal with Marseille for Michy Batshuayi. The 22-year-old Belgium striker (left) had his medical with Chelsea staff in Bordeaux yesterday ahead of agreeing personal terms on a five-year contract. Marseille had agreed the fee with Chelsea on Tuesday evening after receiving counter offers from West Ham, Crystal Palace and Tottenham. The cash-strapped French side needed to reach a conclusion swiftly as they were under threat of sanctions from the financial regulator of football clubs in France unless they paid £21m by Tuesday. Batshuayi, who is due to face Wales tomorrow in the quarter-finals of Euro 2016, enjoys leading the line on his own and is very capable of playing with his back to goal. His key strengths are his speed and the fact he is equally proficient with left and right foot. He is strong in the air and, like a lot of top-class strikers, full of confidence. If Batshuayi has a weakness, he can be prone to long periods of average performances, with only flashes of brilliance. Nor is he a player who tracks back, which can frustrate his team-mates, and his decision making needs working on. However, Batshuayi scored 21 goals last season and was on target in Belgium’s 4-0 win over Hungary on Sunday, when he came off the bench to replace Everton’s Romelu Lukaku. Lukaku was another option for Chelsea, although their priority target has been Alvaro Morata at Real Madrid. But that move is considered complicated and they face competition from other clubs. Chelsea have sent Radamel Falcao back to Monaco, Loic Remy is a target for clubs in Turkey, and Atletico Madrid remain keen on re-signing their former striker Diego Costa. Marseille will see just over £1m from the £33.2m transfer fee as they are also due to pay Batshuayi’s former club Standard Liege £11.62m as part of their 35 per cent sell-on agreement.