Chelsea

Antonio Conte: 'Alvaro Morata was always my first-choice striker'

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 21 July 2017

Antonio Conte claims that Alvaro Morata has always been his top target, despite recent reports that he was keen to sign Romelu Lukaku from Everton.

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has insisted that signing Alvaro Morata was always his top priority this summer, describing the incoming player as a "fantastic striker".

The Blues reached an agreement with Real Madrid earlier this week to sign the 24-year-old, who is understood to be currently undergoing a medical in West London.

Chelsea had been linked with Romelu Lukaku earlier in the window, reportedly agreeing to match the £75m offered by Manchester United to land their former striker from Everton.

Lukaku instead pushed through with his move to Old Trafford, supposedly leaving Conte frantically searching for an alternative, but the Italian claims that Morata was his primary target from the start.

"It is very important, the choice. Morata, for sure, is our first choice," he told reporters. "He is a good player, the right prospect for Chelsea and hopes to show his value with us. I think for sure this is a good signing for us, he is a young player but has a lot of experience, he went to Juventus and Real Madrid.

"He has a lot of experience and I think this is a good signing for us. We have added a fantastic striker, even at a young age he has won a lot already and we are looking forward to welcoming him to the squad."

Morata, who scored 20 goals for Madrid in all competitions last season, is expected to set Chelsea back a club-record fee of £68m.