Newcastle ‘considering’ unlikely Michy Batshuayi option — report

Fourth-choice Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi has been linked with a potential move to Leeds United, where he’d be able to reunite with former manager Marcelo Bielsa and presumably get a starring role in their quest to stay in the Premier League following their long-awaited promotion from the Championship.

With just one year left on his contract, Chelsea would do well to collect any decent amount in transfer fees in return for Batshuayi, though at the moment, we’re still being quite hopeful and asking for €25m, which would be a club record for Leeds.

There is some danger in overplaying this hand however. If Leeds walk away, we’re not left with many options, if any. It had been slim picking for Michy up to this point in the market, and that doesn’t look to be improving beyond Bielsa & Co.

Case in point, a report form the Newcastle Chronicle, which lists Batshuayi as one of the options “under consideration” by the club, who recently missed out a significant windfall of cash after the investment takeover by a Saudi consortium collapsed. Their transfer budget has been slashed in half apparently, and they’d want to take Michy only on loan — and that certainly wouldn’t do with just one year left on his Chelsea contract. Signing him to an extension in order to enable a loan wouldn’t be a great solution either.

So, even more reason to try to get this Leeds United deal done.