Out of favour Chelsea striker set to be first out the door in summer exodus

Chelsea fans have plenty of reason for optimism at present, with the newly crowned European Champions already being linked with a plethora of top talent from across the continent ahead of what promises to be a busy summer transfer window. 

Former Blues striker Romelu Lukaku is the hot favourite to return to Stamford Bridge, with boss Thomas Tuchel allegedly pushing for the club to resign the Belgian.

Norwegian star Erling Haaland is also rumoured to be on the club’s radar, along with Borussia Dortmund teammate Jadon Sancho.

However, it also appears that there could be a fair few outgoings in SW6 this summer, with Tammy Abraham, Jorginho, Olivier Giroud and Kepa Arrizabalaga all being heavily linked with moves elsewhere.

It appears, though, that another player could be on the verge of becoming the club’s first departure of the summer.

According to Football London, Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi is expected to depart the West Londoners this summer, with at least one top half Premier League club interested in signing the forward.

Batshuayi scored twice in 18 Premier League appearances while on loan with the Eagles

Batshuayi, who spent last season on loan at Crystal Palace, joined Chelsea in 2016 in a deal rumoured to be worth as much as £33.2 million, but has made just 77 appearances for the club in the time since.

The 27-year-old has spent time on loan at Valencia and Borussia Dortmund as well as Palace, and is likely to have a number of potential suitors interested if his time at Chelsea is to come to an end.

Batshuayi signed a one-year contract extension with the Blues in the summer of 2020 before joining Palace, but started just nine times at Selhurst Park under Roy Hodgson.

It is believed that Chelsea will demand a fee in excess of £10 million for Batshuayi, who boasts an impressive record of scoring every 97 minutes for the club.

It is not known which Premier League club hold an interest in the player, however they are yet to make a formal approach for the Belgian.