10pm: Chelsea forward to join Turkish club after reaching agreement, as Blues given green light to sign €20m-rated player
According to reports in Turkey, Besiktas have reached an agreement ‘on everything’ with Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi,
The striker is set to leave the club following the signing of Romelu Lukaku.
As per Turkish journalist Yağız Sabuncuoğlu, Besiktas have reached an agreement with Batshuayi and are in contact with Chelsea over the forward.
The two clubs have made ‘great progress’ and a final meeting is scheduled to be held next week.
Besiktas and Chelsea are discussing both loan and permanent deal options as Batshuayi is waiting for the clubs to come to an agreement after terms have been settled between the player and club.
It was previously reported that Batshuayi was set for a move to Besiktas’ Turkish rivals Trabzonspor.
The Belgian featured for Belgium at Euro 2020 after spending last season on loan at Crystal Palace, who Chelsea face on the opening day of the Premier League season.
Since swapping Marseille for Chelsea in 2016, Batshuayi has bagged 25 goals and six assists in 77 outings across competitions in west London and won the Premier League in his first season in England.
However, after failing to secure a spot in the first-team, the striker underwent loan stints at Borussia Dortmund and Valencia before returning to the Premier League to join Palace on loan for two seasons in 2019.
An exit from Stamford Bridge could bode well for all parties, with Chelsea looking to generate further revenue to help them in pursuit of their targets this summer.
Blues given green light to sign €20m-rated player
The London giants are reportedly plotting an opening bid of €35m for Atalanta playmaker Matteo Pessina in the ongoing summer transfer window. Italy international has been with La Dea for four years now, having made the switch from Milan in the summer of 2017.
During his time in Bergamo, Matteo has had loan spells away at Spezia (2017/18) and Hellas Verona (2019/20), but he grew into an integral member of Gian Piero Gasperini’s team in the 2020/21 season.
Pessina, who can play as a No. 10, a No. 8 or even as a holding midfielder, featured 40 times in all tournaments for La Dea in the last campaign, contributing with four goals and two assists. While those numbers might not be standout, Matteo impressed with his ability to create openings, run at the opposition and his off-the-ball work rate.
The 24-year-old playmaker’s solid campaign with Atalanta earned him a call-up to the Italy national team for the UEFA Euro 2020, albeit as a replacement for Stefano Sensi, who picked up an injury pre-tournament.
The Italian playmaker hasn’t featured a lot in the tournament but has looked good each time he has come on and also scored vital goals in the group game against Wales and the Round of 16 tie with Austria.
Matteo’s overall development seemingly has attracted interest from several top clubs across Europe, with the likes of Inter Milan, PSG and Napoli all previously enquiring about his situation. Now, Blues, too, have emerged as a suitor for the 24-year-old as the German manager looks to reinforce his UCL-winning squad