Saturday, February 3
 

Premier League

Antonio Conte plays down talk of imminent Michy Batshuayi exit

Antonio Conte suggests that Michy Batshuayi will not be leaving Chelsea on deadline day, potentially affecting Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's proposed switch to Arsenal.

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has revealed that he intends to include Michy Batshuayi in his squad to face Bournemouth on Wednesday, effectively ruling out a deadline-day exit.

The Belgium international was expected to be offloaded in the remaining hours of the January transfer window in search of regular first-team action elsewhere, either permanently or on a temporary deal.

Borussia Dortmund are rumoured to have shown a strong interest in Batshuayi, seeing him as a perfect stopgap solution to the exit of Arsenal-bound Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang until the end of the campaign.

Conte does not expect any outgoing business between now and tomorrow night's cut-off point, however, which coincides with Chelsea's home match against Bournemouth.

"He is in contention for tomorrow's game. I don't know [about a move to Dortmund]," he said at his pre-match press conference. "Now, he is a Chelsea player and for this reason he is in contention.

"[Alvaro] Morata is still injured and I don't have other options, especially as Willian is also injured. [Eden] Hazard can play number nine but then to find a solution to find another number 10.

"It's not simple, this situation with Batshuayi. There is only one day [left in the window]. It's not the best situation for me or the player but, as you know very well, the transfer market in January is not simple to find a solution for players coming in and going out.

"But the player knows very well the situation. Today he trained well and I prepared the game with him. You don't know what will happen tonight or tomorrow. We must be ready to face every situation. It's not the best situation to face, but we have to face it."

Should Batshuayi remain at Stamford Bridge, it may have a knock-on effect in Arsenal's pursuit of Aubameyang.

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Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City26223174195569
2Manchester UnitedMan Utd26166449183154
3Liverpool25148357292850
4Chelsea25155545192650
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs25146549222748
6Arsenal25126746341242
7Burnley269982123-236
8Leicester CityLeicester269893734335
9Everton2587102840-1231
10Bournemouth2678112836-829
11West Ham UnitedWest Ham26610103143-1228
12Watford2576123344-1127
13Crystal Palace2568112338-1526
14Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton26510111834-1625
15Stoke CityStoke2667132550-2525
16Huddersfield TownHuddersfield2667131944-2525
17Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2566132335-1224
18Swansea CitySwansea2666141836-1824
19Southampton26411112537-1223
20West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom26411112034-1423
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Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City26223174195569
2Manchester UnitedMan Utd26166449183154
3Liverpool25148357292850
4Chelsea25155545192650
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs25146549222748
6Arsenal25126746341242
7Burnley269982123-236
8Leicester CityLeicester269893734335
9Everton2587102840-1231
10Bournemouth2678112836-829
11West Ham UnitedWest Ham26610103143-1228
12Watford2576123344-1127
13Crystal Palace2568112338-1526
14Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton26510111834-1625
15Stoke CityStoke2667132550-2525
16Huddersfield TownHuddersfield2667131944-2525
17Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2566132335-1224
18Swansea CitySwansea2666141836-1824
19Southampton26411112537-1223
20West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom26411112034-1423
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