West Ham United have been given a boost in their chase for out-of-sorts Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi after the forward expressed his desire for first team football ahead of the 2018 Russia World Cup.
Speaking with ESPN, Batshuayi – who scored four goals in the final three games of the season for the Premier League Champions – responded to the potential of spending another season on the bench at Stamford Bridge, saying: “No, no, no. Everyone knows that I have to play more, that I have to score goals. There’s a World Cup coming up next year. I want to be ready for the World Cup.”
The 23-year-old then added: “I’m not going to ask anything. I’m going to listen to what they are saying.
“They are the boss, not me. And afterwards I’ll discuss it with my agent and the club. Amicably, as friends, of course. A loan? That’s not up to me. That’s up to them [Chelsea]. They take the decisions, not me.”
The Belgium international signed for Chelsea for an astonishing £33 million last summer, yet made only a solitary league start in Antonio Conte’s side’s Premier League winning campaign.
