£9 million man open to Everton move but Toffees decide not to pursue a transfer

Everton bid farewell to Richarlison earlier this summer, which brought at least £50 million to the club, allowing Frank Lampard to reinvest the sum in upgrading the squad. Everton have added Dwight McNeil to the attacking unit and was rumoured to be interested in Chelsea’s Michy Batshuayi.

The Toffees have placed their trust in Dominic Calvert-Lewin to lead the frontline this season, with the Englishman hoping to bounce back from a dismal season last year where his progress was hampered by injuries and fitness concerns. Salomon Rondon will serve as his backup but the Venezuelan struggled last season, netting just a solitary goal in the Premier League.

The Toffees held talks with Chelsea for Batshuayi who is surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge. He spent the last season on loan at Besiktas, scoring 14 goals in the Super Lig. The 28 year old has just one year left on his Chelsea contract and Everton could have signed him on a cheap deal this summer. His current market value stands at £9 million, as per Transfermarkt.

Batshuayi would have been a better and a more reliable backup to Rondon. According to talkSPORT, the Chelsea striker was also open to moving to Merseyside in this transfer window. Batshuayi is looking to leave Chelsea on a permanent basis after loan spells at Borussia Dortmund, Valencia, Crystal Palace and Besiktas.

Everton will not pursue Michy Batshuayi

When Lampard was the Chelsea boss, Batshuayi played 24 games under him and scored six goals for Chelsea. However, a report from Daily Mail reports that the Toffees are no longer interested in the former Marseille striker and have opted against submitting a bid for the forward.

The Belgian earns around £90,000 per week at Chelsea and it was highly unlikely that the Merseysiders would have offered a contract that matched those wages. In doing so, Batshuayi would have become one of the highest paid players at the club, which would have disrupted the financial structure at the club.

A number of Chelsea players have been linked to Everton, probably because of Lampard’s connection to Chelsea but so far none of the linked players have moved to Goodison Park. There’s still a month left for the closure of the summer transfer window which gives time to complete business but the Premier League starts this weekend.

The Blues have completed the deals for James Tarkowski, Ruben Vinagre, McNeil and are on course to complete the transfer of Idrissa Gueye but more reinforcements are needed and they have to act quickly.

Would Michy Batshuayi have been a better backup than Rondon?