Report: Chelsea striker set to stay and fight Morata for first-team place

By Harry Sykes

Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi is set to stay at Chelsea for a second season, according to a report.

France Football claim that despite a large number of rumours linking the striker with a loan move back to to Marseille or Monaco, he is set to remain at Stamford Bridge and fight for his place in the first team.

With last year's star striker Diego Costa looking likely to leave, new signing Alvaro Morata has been installed as the number one attacker for manager Antonio Conte.

However, with the 2018 World Cup just round the corner, Batshuayi will not want to play second fiddle for the whole season and it suggests that he might well figure in Conte's plans.

Batshuayi joined Chelsea from Marseille last summer in a huge deal worth £35million.

Since then he hasn't managed to break into the first team as a regular, although he has shown flashes of his brilliance on the pitch.

He has made 29 appearances in total for Chelsea, although he has only started in the Premier League once in 20 appearances.

After struggling for goals he scored four times in the last three games of the season - once when he started against Watford.

He ended the season on a high with two goals against relegated Sunderland in a cameo appearance that lasted just 28 minutes.

He has 10 caps for Belgium but knows that he will need a decent amount of game time if he wants to figure in Roberto Martinez' plans for Russia.

In other Chelsea news, three more players are set to arrive before the end of the summer transfer window.

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