Crystal Palace have beaten off reported interest from several other clubs to land Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi on loan for the remainder of the season.
The Belgium international, who spent the first half of the campaign at Valencia, was linked with Everton, West Ham, Tottenham and Real Betis at various stages during deadline day but Palace won the race.
Batshuayi, 25, has struggled to make an impact at Stamford Bridge since joining the Blues for £33million from Marseille in 2016 but remains a highly-regarded forward.
Palace chairman Steve Parish told the club’s website: “This is a fantastic signing for Crystal Palace.
“Michy is a player we’ve long admired, and I’m delighted that we’ve finally managed to get him in a red and blue shirt. He will be a magnificent addition to our squad.”
Batshuayi began his career at Standard Liege, scoring 44 goals in 120 games before moving to Marseille. He joined Chelsea after netting 33 goals in 78 appearances over two seasons for the French side.
He scored the title-clinching goal for the Blues in 2017 and, in all, has scored 19 goals in 53 appearances for the London side.
He scored nine goals in 14 games during a successful loan spell with Borussia Dortmund in the second half of last season and also featured for Belgium at last summer’s World Cup.
A move to Spurs reportedly failed to materialise because Chelsea were unwilling to do business with a direct rival for a Premier League top four spot while wage demands may have been an issue for other clubs.
