Chelsea certainly mean business this summer.Frank Lampard's first season in charge of the club went relatively well considering the difficult hand that he inherited at Stamford Bridge.Fresh from losing key player Eden Hazard, the Blues were placed on a transfer ban which meant that they were unable to sign senior players until this summer.Considering the amount being spent by their rivals, Lampard did pretty well to finish the season in fourth place in the Premier League, securing Champions League football in the process.But with their place among Europe's elite now confirmed, Chelsea have very much kicked on.Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, Thiago Silva, Ben Chilwell and Kai Havertz have all completed moves to West London for a combined fee of around £200million.That was quite a signal of intent that was sent to their top flight rivals.But while these additions have strengthened the squad it now seems that the Blues will be looking to offload several stars.
Reports from the Daily Mail claimed that Michy Batshuayi will be one of those players to leave after agreeing a loan switch to Crystal Palace.But while this move is good news for the striker, it has had a knock-on effect for one of the Blues' talented young stars.Conor Gallagher was widely expected to link up with the Eagles this summer, but according to Liam Twomey of The Athletic, that will no longer happen.
Twomey tweeted: "As per Adrian Kajumba, Batshuayi is heading to Crystal Palace on loan after signing a new contract to ensure Chelsea don’t lose him for free next summer.
"It means a change of plan for Conor Gallagher; Palace can only take on Chelsea loanee and prioritised a striker."
What this means for Gallagher remains to be seen, but it could open the door for clubs such as Leeds United, West Brom or Fulham who have all been linked with a loan move.
GIVEMESPORT'S Phil Spencer says...
While this is a great move for Michy Batshuayi, it's certainly a blow for Conor Gallagher.
The youngster had reportedly all-but agreed to move to Selhurst Park as he looked to get his first taste of Premier League action.
But with that not happening he'll be forced to look elsewhere.
Thankfully for him, there's no shortage of interest in his services.
Described by Charlton boss Lee Bowyer as 'impossible to replace', Gallagher is undoubtedly one of the top young talents at Stamford Bridge at the moment and it'll be very interesting to see what he can do in the Premier League.
While it won't be with Palace, I'm sure that the likes of Leeds United and West Brom will be rubbing their hands together as they look to potentially reignite the deal.