[ad_pod ]According to Sky Sports' Kaveh Solhekol, Crystal Palace have agreed terms with Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi.The Belgian has been linked with a number of Premier League clubs - chiefly Everton, West Ham and Tottenham - but it seems the Eagles are in pole position. The signing will surely have Wilfried Zaha licking his lips, but Christian Benteke quaking in his boots.
What's the word?
Well, Batshuayi has, by the sounds of it, had just about every club in England on the phone during Deadline Day as he looks to secure a move away from Stamford Bridge - his £170,000-a-week wage demands have proved a stumbling block, though.
However, the Selhurst Park outfit are reportedly in touching distance of getting him on a permanent deal and, having spent £28m to bring Christian Benteke to the club two-and-a-half years ago, a swoop for Batshuayi could well crush both that fee and the former's chances in the first team going forward.
Bad news for Benteke
The 28-year-old has only just recovered from a nasty knee injury that required surgery and kept him out of action for months; he would surely have been hoping that he could fight his way back into the starting XI but the arrival of Batshuayi could leave him warming the bench for the rest of the season.
The former Liverpool striker had a brilliant first season in red and blue but has struggled for form in front of goal since - he scored just three goals in 2017/18 and is yet to net this campaign.Batshuayi is a well-rounded forward who would be an upgrade on his compatriot, Benteke.
Zaha's assist-drought will likely come to an end quickly if the former Marseille man signs for the Croydon outfit, and the sheer presence of another feared forward should create more space for the Ivorian. Being crowded out by opposition defences has been a recurring theme of a somewhat challenging season for Palace's talisman.