The wait is finally over. The first signing of the Antonio Conte era has been made official: Michy Batshuayi.
Chelsea have signed the Belgian striker for a reported fee of £33.2 million (€40 million) from Ligue 1 side Marseille, as announced via the club’s official website.
Batshuayi most recently made headlines for putting the nail in the coffin in Belgium’s 4-0 win over Hungary in their round of 16 tie of Euro 2016.
After a €38 million fee was agreed with Crystal Palace on Monday, the undecided Belgian striker turned down the Eagles in a speculated attempt to draw interest to bigger Premier League clubs.
Batshuayi was also subjected to rejected bids from West Ham and Juventus earlier this summer.
According to that same report from The Guardian, the Blues could maintain their pursuit of Alvaro Morata, who is now back at Real Madrid, but it appears that Chelsea have halted their pursuit of Romelu Lukaku.
The fact that Chelsea are believed to still be searching for another talented, experienced striker would lead one to believe that Conte intends to use a two-striker system at Stamford Bridge.
The Belgian finished the 2015/16 Ligue 1 season with 17 goals and will become Marseille’s most expensive sale in club history. Chelsea fans may be familiar with Marseille’s previously most expensive sale…
Batshuayi ends his two-year tenure at Stade Vélodrome with 33 goals in 78 appearances. Prior to his move to France in 2014, he played four seasons in the Belgian Pro League with Standard Liège, compiling 44 goals in 120 appearances.
