Chelsea to offer Michy Batshuayi as a makeweight for West Ham United star?

Chelsea are prepared to offer Michy Batshuayi as a makeweight as they seek to land the signature of Declan Rice from West Ham United this summer.

Batshuayi is currently the Blues' third-choice striker behind Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud and he is expected to drop further down the pecking order with the anticipated arrival of Timo Werner from RB Leipzig.

With just 12 months remaining on his contract, the Blues are prepared to sanction his departure but no clubs have expressed an interest in meeting their £40m price tag for the Belgium international.

According to The Athletic, the west London side hold a keen interest in re-signing Rice from the Hammers and they are likely to propose a part-exchange deal involving Batshuayi.

David Moyes' side are determined to keep hold of the England international but they could be tempted to sanction the midfielder's sale, suppose the Blues are prepared to offer a sizeable amount of cash alongside the Belgian.

Rice, who was previously in the Blues youth system for eight years, is valued at nearly £80m. The Hammers are currently in a position where they may need to sell a few first-team players in order to make new signings.