Chelsea round-up: Morata contact made; Costa set for showdown talks; Lazio attacker linked

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Italian football journalist Gianluca di Marzio has claimed that Chelsea have made contact with striker Alvaro Morata since reports emerged that they have missed out on Everton centre-forward Romelu Lukaku. The Real Madrid star was expected to move to Old Trafford but United have now dropped their interest.

That opens the door to a potential move to Chelsea, with the Blues now in somewhat of a crisis with Diego Costa expected to leave and doubts over the future of Michy Batshuayi. There are few, if any, better options on the market than the Spanish international but any move for Morata will be an expensive one.

However, The Sun report that the club may be forced to make a u-turn regarding their top scorer last season. They say that Diego Costa will hold showdown talks with Antonio Conte regarding his future, and may even be given another opportunity in the Chelsea first team if no replacement can be found.

Costa has been strongly linked with a move to Atletico Madrid, but with the Spanish club under a transfer ban until January, he would be forced to miss half of the season or find a short term move elsewhere. With this in mind, Chelsea may give him half a season as an option for Conte, if too much damage has not already been done.

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Another option in attack could be Lazio winger Keita Balde, according to Italian newspaper La Repubblica. The La Masia youth product from Barcelona can play anywhere across a front three, including as a shadow striker or as a centre-forward, though he has mainly figured on the left for the Rome club.

With 16 goals in 31 games in Serie A last campaign, Antonio Conte and co. may see him as an exciting option for competition with the likes of Pedro, Willian and Eden Hazard in wide positions in attack. Given his high goal return, such a prolific threat would be more than welcome on the left flank.

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