Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi is on the verge of sealing a season-long loan move to Crystal Palace, the PA news agency understands.
The 26-year-old Belgian is poised to sign a one-year extension on his current Stamford Bridge contract and then take up a second loan stint with the Eagles.
Batshuayi’s current Chelsea contract expires next summer and a further agreement until 2022 will stop him becoming a free agent once his expected loan at Palace comes to an end.
Palace have already signed England Under-21 forward Eberechi Eze from QPR for an initial £16million this summer, and Batshuayi's impending arrival at Selhurst Park will add a further boost to boss Roy Hodgson’s attacking options.
Leeds, West Brom and Newcastle had all tracked Batshuayi with a view to a loan switch, but Palace look set to pull off the deal.
Batshuayi spent the second half of the 2018/19 campaign on loan at Palace, but remained on hand at Stamford Bridge last term in Frank Lampard’s first season at the Blues’ helm.
The £53m arrival of Timo Werner from RB Leipzig, allied to existing strikers Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud, has pushed Batshuayi further down the west London side’s pecking order.
Batshuayi joined Chelsea from Marseille for £33m in 2016 but has never managed to command a regular first-team berth and has spent time on loan at Borussia Dortmund and Valencia as well as Palace.
PA
