Alvaro Morata Says He Will Stay at Chelsea This Summer Despite Transfer Rumours

Chelsea forward Alvaro Morata has said he will stay at the club despite earlier speculation he may be on the move.

The Spain international had a mixed debut season for the Blues in the Premier League, and there has been some talk he was ready to leave Stamford Bridge this summer. However, Morata has said he's made it clear to the Chelsea chiefs that he wants to stay at the club and they're happy for him to stick around.

"On the first day of pre-season I spoke to [Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia] and with the manager and I said: 'I want to stay at Chelsea,'" he said, per Darren Lewis of the Daily Mirror. "They told me: 'We have a lot of confidence in you and we want you to stay too.' So everything was perfect."

According to Sky Italia (h/t Football Italia), the Blues striker was of interest to AC Milan, although the San Siro club have since landed Gonzalo Higuain on loan from Juventus.

As Lewis noted, Morata's wife recently gave birth to twins, and the family is set to move to a home that is closer to Chelsea's Cobham training facility. The striker also said he's got his eyes on the Golden Boot this season.

"For me, I prefer to score 10 goals and take the trophy," he said. "I want to win the Golden Boot but in England in the last year the Golden Boot winner didn't take any trophies."

Following the birth of his children, Morata has opted for a change of number for Chelsea this season:

Those who frequent Stamford Bridge will be hopeful Morata can kick on in this campaign after getting acclimatised to English football in 2017-18.

There were times early in the previous term when the striker looked like he was going to be a star in the Premier League. He led the line with pace, power and was potent in front of goal; in his first 11 games in the top flight, he scored eight times, including a fine hat-trick away at Stoke City.

Per Sky Sports Statto, the Blues striker was particularly strong in aerial battles, providing an excellent focal point in attack at times:

Yet there were occasions when the speed and physicality of the Premier League did appear to catch up with Morata.

The striker went through spells in matches where he was bullied off the ball, and that in turn appeared to knock his confidence in front of goal. Suddenly Morata was complicating opportunities and became profligate, adding just five more goals in all competitions.

While Olivier Giroud took his place late last term, the Frenchman's involvement in the FIFA World Cup has given Morata a chance in pre-season.

Liam Twomey of ESPN FC noted that he's been impressive:

If he does hit the ground running this season, then Chelsea will be much more of a force going forward. Morata has many different attributes, meaning he's suited to various tactical game plans.

In 2018-19, he should be more settled in England and more attuned to the unique rigours of the Premier League. If he is, the striker will be a major boost for new manager Maurizio Sarri in what is a critical campaign for the club.