Lucas Perez Closing on West Ham Exit With Chelsea's Michy Batshuayi Eyed as Loan Replacement

West Ham striker Lucas Perez is on the verge of joining Real Betis on a permanent deal, with Chelsea outcast Michy Batshuayi being eyed as a potential replacement.

Perez, who joined the Hammers from Arsenal in the summer transfer window, has found it difficult to break into the first-team picture at the London Stadium, and has made just 10 appearances in the Premier League, scoring twice.

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He was a reported loan target for Bundesliga heavyweights Schalke, but it's Betis that appears to be his next career destination - with Sky Sports reporting that a £3.5m deal is close to being completed.

Perez may be heading out of the door, but taking his place could be Chelsea's forgotten striker Michy Batshuayi. The Belgian striker has endured a disastrous loan spell in La Liga with Valencia, failing to take forward the momentum that he generated last season on loan at Borussia Dortmund.

He has been destined to return to Chelsea since the beginning of January, after the Spanish side expressed their desire to terminate his loan deal. In a bizarre twist though, Batshuayi has been made to stay in Spain - with the Blues unwilling to bring him back into the Stamford Bridge fold.

He could be offered a lifeline by West Ham though, with the Hammers believed to be keen on taking Batshuayi on loan. Any deal is likely to go hand-in-hand with a move for Celta Vigo striker Maxi Gomez, whose £43.3m switch to the London Stadium is close to being completed.

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Should those deals be completed, West Ham may allow Javier Hernandez to leave the club - though as it stands right now, the Hammers are unwilling to let him leave and have reportedly turned down a £7m bid from Valencia.