West Ham eyeing loan move for Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi

Slaven Bilic’s West Ham are set to offer Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi a Premier League lifeline this summer, according to ESPN.

The 23-year-old moved to Stamford Bridge last summer amid much anticipation after a great stint at Marseille, but it just hasn’t happened for the forward in England, starting just one Premier League game for Antonio Conte’s side, and a handful more in the domestic cup competitions.

And although he has netted five league goals in just 239 minutes of action, it doesn’t appear that he has an immediate future in West London, which is why Hammers boss Bilic is reportedly lining up a loan swoop for the Belgium international this summer, despite it being reported a few weeks ago that a permanent deal could happen.

Bilic oversaw a frustrating Premier League campaign at the London Stadium this term, a campaign which saw West Ham win just seven times at their new home, and stumble to an 11th place finish in the division.

And part of that was down to the lack of form from the front players, with striker Andy Carroll their top-scoring forward with just seven goals, all from a mere 18 Premier League appearances.

So it’s little surprise to see Bilic go in for Batshuayi this summer, not just because of the goal-shy strikers at his disposal in East London, but also because the Hammers were one side reportedly interested in him last summer before he joined Chelsea.

It is thought that the Blues are not keen on a permanent deal for the £21 million-rated forward (as per Transfermarkt), yet a loan move could be an option for the Hammers as they look to improve in next season’s top-flight.