Monaco want Michy Batshuayi to join his old Chelsea team-mate Cesc Fabregas in France after the striker had his loan cut short by Valencia.

Fabregas is completing his move to Monaco on a three-and-a-half-year deal as Chelsea deliberate over whether or not to sign Nicolo Barella or Leandro Paredes as the Spaniard’s replacement.

Chelsea have agreed deals in principle for both Cagliari’s Barella and Zenit St Petersburg’s Paredes, but are considering which man would best replace Fabregas or, if in fact, they need a new midfielder.

The Blues must think about the likelihood of signing Mateo Kovacic on a permanent deal following his season-long loan from Real Madrid, while they already have Jorginho, Ross Barkley and Ruben Loftus-Cheek on their books.

Fabregas was made to wait to tie up the formalities of his Monaco switch, but he has the green light to complete the move after Chelsea head coach Maurizio Sarri gave it his blessing.