Guillem Balague says Chelsea’s Antonio Conte snubbed Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku and always wanted Alvaro Morata.
Spanish football pundit Guillem Balague has insisted Alvaro Morata was always Antonio Conte’s first choice at Chelsea.
Chelsea confirmed this evening that they have struck a deal with Real Madrid to sign Morata, ending their summer chase for a striker.
Morata had been in line to move to Manchester United before the Red Devils abandoned their plan and moved for Romelu Lukaku instead.
Lukaku had been tipped to join Chelsea, but Balague insists Morata is not Chelsea settling for their second choice – he claims the Spaniard was the player manager Antonio Conte wanted all along.
If true, then Chelsea boss Conte will be very happy, but this version of events does not tally with previous reports elsewhere.
The Evening Standard reported Conte was furious to lose out on the Belgian striker to Manchester United, while The Telegraph reported that Chelsea belatedly matched United’s offer.
The two players will be closely compared through their spells at their clubs, and Blues fans will hope that Morata can live up to his hefty price tag.
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