Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi is close to having his loan spell cancelled by Valencia after failing to impress during the first half of the 2018/19 season in Spain.
The Belgian enjoyed a prolific loan spell with Borussia Dortmund last season, but has failed to replicate his form in La Liga this campaign so far. He has found the back of the net just three times in 20 appearances, prompting rumours of an imminent departure from the club.
The update on Batshuayi's future comes from Spanish outlet Marca, who claim that Valencia manager Marcelino does not want the striker at the club once the January transfer window closes.
Valencia find themselves 14th in La Liga and have struggled greatly in front of goal. They have netted just 13 goals in 16 matches, which is the lowest tally in the entire division, and the club are keen to recruit a new striker to help solve their problem.
The club have three other recognised strikers alongside Batshuayi - Kevin Gameiro, Rodrigo and Santi Mina. They are reluctant to add a fifth, and see cancelling Batshuayi's loan deal as the easiest way to get rid of one of their forwards.
Marcelino is thought to be unimpressed with the 25-year-old, meaning Batshuayi has struggled for regular game time. He has started just four times in La Liga and has completed 90 minutes just once.
It was hoped that Batshuayi would prove to be an aggressive striker who would be able to assert himself against physical defenders, but the Belgian has struggled to show these characteristics in his game.
As a result, Valencia are keen to cancel Batshuayi's loan deal as soon as possible, in order to have more time to find a prolific forward who can help cure the side's goalscoring struggles.
His future with parent club Chelsea is also uncertain. He netted 19 goals in 53 appearances for the Blues, but found himself out of favour with former boss Antonio Conte. He was behind Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud in the pecking order at Stamford Bridge but, with the pair struggling in front of goal, Batshuayi may be called upon to help cure the side's issues.
Source : 90min