Crystal Palace should avoid a summer deal for Chelsea forward Michy Batshuayi if the club demand £45m for his services.
According to The Express, Palace are interested in Batshuayi and could make a move for him at the end of the season.
The report also claims that Chelsea value Batshuayi at £45m, but may be tempted to reduce the price due to his contract situation.
Batshuayi will have just 12 months left on his contract at Chelsea in the summer, meaning that they run the risk of losing him on a free transfer.
If Chelsea stick to their guns and ask for £45m from Palace for Batshuayi, the club should turn away and look for alternative targets. Whilst the Belgian could be a good addition to Palace’s squad, after scoring five goals in nine starts on loan to the club last season, the price appears to be too steep.
Danny Ings, who has scored 15 Premier League goals this season, cost Southampton £20m and Teemu Pukki, who has scored 11, cost Norwich nothing on a free transfer. This shows that there is value to be found in the market for Premier League strikers without having to overspend on players from top six clubs.
If the likes of Norwich and Southampton are able to find strikers who can score double-figure goals in the Premier League for much less than £45m, Palace may be able to as well.
Instead of shelling out over-the-odds for Batshuayi, Palace should put their scouting department to good use and look for quality across the globe in order to find better value for their money.
