Chelsea Transfer News: Diego Costa, Michy Batshuayi, Inter Milan Rumours Emerge

Inter Milan are to reportedly pursue Chelsea strikers Diego Costa and Michy Batshuayi, with the future of club captain Mauro Icardi in serious doubt.

That’s according to Il Corriere dello Sport (h/t Tom Coast of Sport Witness), who suggested that links between the Serie A side and the Blues duo "don’t appear to be folklore" anymore due to Icardi’s predicament; Inter Utras have asked him to relinquish the captaincy after criticism of the supporters in his autobiography.

As we can see here, courtesy of Bleacher Report UK, the Nerazzurri fans are far from happy with the striker at the moment:

Should Icardi move on—Napoli could reportedly test the club’s resolve to keep him with a €40 million (£36 million) offer in January—it’s stated Inter have eyes on both Batshuayi and Costa to fill the void at the point of the attack.

The former seems the more likely to move on at this juncture despite the fact he only joined from Marseille in the summer.

Batshuayi made some impressive cameo appearances off the bench for the Blues earlier in the campaign, although so far he’s totted up a meagre 53 Premier League minutes. Indeed, even when Chelsea have been chasing games in the past, manager Antonio Conte has decided not to turn to the Belgium international.

Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images

However, previous reports of a potential move away from the club have been dismissed recently; the Guardian’s Ed Aarons suggested earlier this month that the striker is determined to be a success with Chelsea:

Given the manager is using a sole centre-forward in the XI for now, Costa is going to be a difficult man to dislodge at Stamford Bridge.

After a testing second season in the capital, the Spain international has been revitalised early in 2016-17. Tasked with leading the line, Costa has roughed up defenders, worked hard and linked the play exceptionally well in the main.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Additionally, the golden touch in front of goal that deserted him for spells last season is back. Per Squawka Football, no player has netted as many times as the 28-year-old in the Premier League this season:

It’s difficult to see Costa making the switch to the San Siro unless, as Coast notes, speculation about Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone moving there does come to fruition and the striker fancies linking up with his former coach. Even so, the Premier League is perfect for Costa, and he has plenty to offer the English game.

Batshuayi’s situation is a little different, although when he agreed to join the Blues from Marseille, there was an expectation that he may take time to fully adapt to the Premier League.

After all, Batshuayi is still just 23 years old, still very raw in certain aspects of his game and is having to cope with a new culture and the pressures of playing for a club like Chelsea. Conte will not want to rush him into the Premier League quickly, making his cautious utilisation understandable; given his potential, it would be a big shock for the Blues to cut ties so quickly.