Michy the misfit on way out at Chelsea
MICHY Batshuayi is ready to leave Chelsea in the summer — on loan or permanently — after struggling to make an impact at Stamford Bridge.
The 23-year- old striker, who signed from French club Marseille for £33.1million last summer, has not started a Premier League game yet.
The Belgium international wants regular football and was linked with a loan move to West Ham in January but Chelsea’s troubles with Diego Costa at the time meant no deal was struck.
Even when Costa missed the trip to Leicester — Chinese clubs having unsettled the Spaniard — Eden Hazard was preferred at centre forward with Batshuayi on the bench.
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has always maintained that Batshuayi is in his plans but the player’s time on the pitch tells a different story. He has not played since February 12, when he came on in the 87th minute of a 1-1 draw at Burnley.
Questions remain over Costa’s future and Chelsea will look to bolster their attack in the summer whether he goes to the Chinese Super League or not.
One player who will definitely still be at Chelsea next season is Victor Moses, who has been rewarded for his impressive form with a four-year contract worth £70,000 a week.
Moses earned a bumper pay rise with a series of fine performances since being converted from a winger to a wing back by Conte.
The Nigeria international, who spent three years out on loan at Liverpool, Stoke and West Ham, has played 28 games and scored four goals this season.
Moses, 26, who was signed from Wigan in 2012, said: ‘I feel very excited. We’re having a great season and we have a manager who has given every one of us confidence.’
Conte still has plans to strengthen his squad in the wingback roles, with Monaco duo Djibril Sidibe, a right back, and left winger Thomas Lemar high on his list.
He has ended Chelsea’s pursuit of Schalke’s Sead Kolasinac. The left back’s contract ends in the summer and he is expected to join Juventus. Kolasinac was a target in January but Chelsea opted instead to recall Nathan Ake from his Bournemouth loan as cover for Marcos Alonso.
Ake has since appeared in just two FA Cup ties and several Premier League clubs — including Southampton and Bournemouth — will be interested if he has no future at Chelsea.
Meanwhile, Chelsea are not concerned by reports in Italy that Conte is to take a big-money coaching job with Inter Milan.
Reports say the Italian is homesick but his wife Elisabetta and daughter Vittoria are still set to move to England this summer.
It has been reported that Inter are willing to double Conte’s salary to £10.2m a season but Chelsea are confident the former Italy and Juventus manager will lead them in the Champions League next season.