Tottenham Hotspur were rumoured to be close to a deal that would see the Belgian head to White Hart Lane, but Sky Sports are reporting that he will instead link up with the Blues.
It may seem a strange move to turn down a club in the Champions League for one who will not be competing in Europe, but, on closer inspection, this decision does make sense.
Firstly, the west Londoners have been linked with a number of Belgians throughout the summer and the chance to join some of his compatriots is an opportunity the current Marseille man shouldn’t turn down.
As we discussed yesterday, building a squad with a lot of national and domestic teammates is beneficial, so the 22-year-old could see success with the Red Devils and the Blues if he made this move.
Furthermore, Harry Kane is a nailed-on starter under Mauricio Pochettino, with the Spurs boss preferring to operate with one forward.
This would mean Batshuayi would be coming in to play second fiddle, while his chances of making the starting 11 at Chelsea are much stronger.
Diego Costa is constantly being rumoured to be looking into the possibility of leaving Stamford Bridge, while he only found the net 12 times in the Premier League last term.
Furthermore, even if the Spanish international does remain, that still doesn’t hamper the chances of the Belgian starting.
Incoming manager Antonio Conte has continually utilised a front two throughout his career and that means Batshuayi could be coming in to partner Costa instead of replacing him.
Indeed, you only need to look at how Italy are set up at Euro 2016 to see that the 46-year-old prefers to play a pair of strikers, and it has been as effective in France as it was in Serie A.
The Belgium attacker has also enjoyed a positive impact in the tournament, making his Euros debut as a 76th-minute substitute against Hungary with his side winning 1-0. He scored two minutes later, and his colleagues went on to net twice more in his short time on the pitch.
