Blues' interest in Batshuayi confirmed

Surely we won't be loaning him anywhere given our injury list.

Metro - good source? - I could write half the garbage that they produce. Wouldn't believe a word - Is that how Everton do business by e-mail? very secure that is isn't it.

Yeah surely Liege can request that the player not be loaned to a rival. Surely Everton would be aware of spanners in the deal.

I'm not sure why you would be surprised for an initial enquiry to be e-mailed, Patrick. Would have thought that would be routine nowadays.

What throws me is the fact that the interest has been freely shared and that Liege are apparently aware of our plan to loan him out to their rivals.

I am not wholly surprised that we could possibly buy him and loan him out. If he has been identified as the sort of player RM is looking for but is not quite ready to be used in the EPL, then we may have to move now to ensure we secure his services for next season. I would be surprised if we had already lined up a club to loan him to; is there any particular advantage to be gained from buttering up Anderlecht?

Interest or not, I know its a a bit petty but how can someone be called the new Lukaku when Lukaku is pretty much brand new himself?!

Anyway if he's anything like Rom or better even he's got to be worth a look.

The new Romelu Lukaku
Aren't people still waiting for Lukaku to be the new Drogba?

Surely if we were going to loan him back out then we would just let him stay at Liege till the end of the season.

Si, my lad has just mentioned that the rumour is we are trying to get the lad without having to pay the release clause fee to Liege all in one go, they are not having any of it, so we have said that we will pay the whole release clause of £7m and then loan him out to Anderlecht to try and make Liege play ball on how the fee is paid.

The only things that don't sound like nonsense are that his agent is trying to get him sold (for a nice cash reward) and that Everton has enquired as to his availability (we need a striker).

The only reason I can see for loaning a player back would be to smooth through the initial deal but then whats the point, he'd be much better off learning the Everton way for 5 months then he's ready for the new season.

Obvious I know but lets get him signed, eased into the team and onto the next signing! Easy!!

That actually makes the whole story make sense, Brian.

A) we need a forward now.
B) If we're really interested in prising him away and then loaning him to their rivals, then we'll quite rightly be told to stick it. This sounds more like that sub-human Levy than Kenwright and Bobby.

If Brian is right and Everton's board have finally grown a pair and are willing to play hard I for one am delighted.

What a load of rubbish this really is. There isn't one word about what his parents said that even hints he is going to Everton. It simply says the club have had and agent have had an e-mail from Everton expressing our interest in him. The media fill our pages with any old trout.

It seems a bit self defeating this. Why get him from liege to loan him to anderlecht when they are rivals? Can't we loan him to a Dutch team? It's like us buying a player and then loaning him to the rs.

Colin, it isn't remotely like us buying a player and then loaning him to the RS so I don't think that is what you were intending to write.

Brian Waring's lad has heard something about it being a 'negotiating tactic' to get Liege to accept payment in stages (apparently we can afford the full release clause amount straight away but would prefer to keep some of it back which makes sense if we are also looking to bring in other players).

The bit about us loaning him on to Anderlecht isn't in the Metro article so it is unclear where that information has come from and how believable it is. If true, it would suggest definite interest rather than speculation and that there is a rather unexpected ruthlessness to our negotiators.

Si, beat me to it....

Clever RM I suspect, we never used to be this smart.

That Metro article isn't worth the server it's written on - you de realise the Metro is a red-top-rag read by morons here in London?!

This story has about 5 different scenarios being played out, depending on which trashy site or news-rag you prefer to read.

Batshuayi himself, and Liege have both been 'quoted' as saying he won't be sold until the summer at the earliest in some reports. Others quote his parents saying they've seen an email from his agitator-agent trying to drum up business.

It's all bollocks and counter-bollocks if you ask me.

The thing above about someones son having 'heard' something - where from?! Twitter? A newspaper? Come off it, these so called 'sources' are all nonsense.

Hard to see Martinez giving a contract to someone he doesn't know. A brief loan deal, fair enough, but nothing long term.

But, as I understand it, we will loan him to standard liege's fiercest rivals or not? That doesn't make sense to me.

We have the Monaco lad coming on loan - it'll probably be left to the summer and we'll miss out because Chelsea/Man city will sign him and loan him out.

Why are we not looking for a quality midfielder.With Lukaka and the new boy on loan till summer we need a quality midfielder.

Colin (286), it only makes sense as a tactic to make the payment terms more beneficial to us; i.e. if you refuse to budge on wanting the whole fee up front we will go ahead and trigger the release and if the lad wants to come to us we will loan him to your closest rival.

It seems a strange thing to threaten as it implies that Anderlecht must have already been approached (unless it is just assumed they would jump at the chance) and it potentially wrecks any chance of dealing with Liege in the near future.

It is strange to find it in the OP as it does not appear in the Metro article which is quoted as the source (unless it was in originally and has been cut) and there is not enough context to make it make sense. It only makes sense in light of the information that Brian got from his lad, and then only if you are prepared to believe that EFC have become so bullish. As an embellishment it is so left-field that it is weirdly convincing as it is hard to believe someone would make up something so outlandish.

We all know players and clubs insist no-one is going anywhere right up to the minute they turn up at another club for their medical.

Mark (236) er........ your "sub-human Levy" remark...... just a touch politically incorrect, no?

Back to the thread in question, if we indeed get Traore for the rest of the season then I'm comfortable with Batshuayi not arriving till the summer.

Once Barkey, Deulofeu and Pienaar return from injury, and McGeady is up to speed, we will have a comparative embarrassment of riches in the advanced midflield/wing/striker positions by the end of February.

Future injuries notwithstanding, touch wood.

Si #256 "If true, it would suggest definite interest rather than speculation and that there is a rather unexpected ruthlessness to our negotiators."

More like stupidity as they can just refuse to sell him to us if we're threatening to loan the player to their rivals.

Eric - can't see how they can refuse if he has a release clause and IF we meet that valuation

If we were going to loan Batshuayi out then why not loan him straight back to Standard. That way we get our Lukaku replacement secured now, Liege get the money in the bank to start looking for a replacement in the summer without having to panic buy now. Under such an arrangement the Traore loan deal would make much more sense. Perhaps Liege are resigned to losing Batshuayi but don't want to be short mid way through their current campaign. Its and odd Lukaku-Traore-Batshuayi triangle going on but it could work out for Chelsea, Everton, Monaco and Standard Liege!

Peter Warren 337
The release clause may have a sub clause that says it can only be met in the summer. Some of these clauses are complex, like the expiry date on Fellaini's £25m release.

I think we would be better suited to waiting for the summer anyway to sign a striker permanently, we have Lukaku and Potentially Traore. We need to see if we can get Lukaku back for next season/permanently, if not we can then assess the options including this lad which would then give him a summer to bed in to the team, depending on our league finish could open up or narrow our options. I have noticed Fulham are being linked with Steven Defour really highly rated before his move to Porto, I think he is certainly worth a go if we can get a deal for him.

This is not going to happen.

In no way shape or form does it once say that he is signing for Everton.
The lad himself states he wants to stay at Standard for the remainder of the season so where half of these headlines come from I don't know.

We were linked with Steven Defour several years ago. Very good midfielder. Is his time on Portugal not going so well Craig? I was looking at the potential Belgian squad for the World Cup. Real strength in depth. Strong defence and midfield with some outstanding attacking players. After England exit in the group stages they will be the team I follow.

Drew, I believe he hasn't been a regular starter so far this season for some reason (looks like hes made 8 appearances, might be down to the form of Fernando, Gonzalez etc) the rumours may come about because he is looking to tie down a world cup place, so it could work out well for both parties, he would certainly offer an extra option with a bit more creativity for us in the midfield. He signed for Porto for 6million Euros in 2011, so we maybe able to cut a deal if he is out of favour.

And there you have it - yesterday the Metro talk about him coming to Everton, and today the reverse story saying he's going nowhere. Rag.

Eric, proof that if you're desperate to be offended, you will be. I suppose you're suggesting anti-semitism? Go and polish your New Labour "I'm with the thought police badge".

Sorry, not Eric, Craig!

Drew and Craig, Steven Defour would be a great signing, things must have gone tits up in Portugal for him. I remember when we signed Fellaini from Standard we played them in the Europa Cup, I went to both games and Defour stood out as by far the best player on the pitch. He is too good for Fulham and going for the sum of just short of £5mill, if it was my choice, Osman or Defour, I know who I would pick..

Ian
Defour would be a useful addition to the midfield, but I haven't seen anything but the most tenuous links. I'm sure Martinez is aware of him, but whether he is interested and whether Defour would be available is anyone's guess.

Just as long as we don't loan him. That would probably finish Phil Walling off!!!

Love it Drew hahaha.

They say he is the next "Steven Kinsella"

This had deadline day written all over it.

Peter #337, didn't Arsenal bid over the value of Suarez's release clause in the summer?

Also to spite us for threatening them they could sell him to Dortmund who are also interested and not even consider our offer.

I can see where you are coming from Colin, I think you meant to say its like another team buying one of our players and loaning the player to Liverpool if I'm right in reading your post.

It all makes sense if we are at last growing a set of balls and saying take installments, or we will pay the £7 million and loan the guy to your rivals, loving it.

Eric, nope, they thought they did because there was no such clause. I do see your point. If those are the exact words said, it is as much as a gutsy hardball move as much as it is foolish. You never know which tactic works better. I do see this as fairly gutsy move for once.

This is all going to go down to the wire as usual. We don't half twat about sometimes!

We'll all be on here arguing over Kenwright, money, positions, Osman, the foreign policy of the Nixon administration, all the while getting more wound up by that Scottish prick on SSN.

I won't watch it. Can't watch it. Must not watch it... See you all there.

Now about that foreign policy of the Nixon administration...........

Keith I insist that regime change in Cambodia was a priority, even if Congress wasn't consulted.

EUREKA!! Mark we've found a way to kill a thread. NB Lyndon that problem you have with matters concerning OFM just try the Mark route...

From football to dominoes in SE Asia.

Ian, definitely with you on that one, would certainly add a bit more quality/creativity to our squad.