Chelsea boss Antonio Conte happy to keep Michy Batshuayi beyond end of transfer window

Vaishali Bhardwaj29 January 2018

Antonio Conte insists Michy Batshuayi does not have to leave Chelsea this month as he wants to keep at least three strikers in his squad for the remainder of the season.

Batshuayi, whose two goals inspired Chelsea to a 3-0 FA Cup fourth-round win over Newcastle on Sunday, could be set to seal a loan move away from Stamford Bridge this month should the club sign a replacement.

The Belgian has played second fiddle to first-choice striker Alvaro Morata this season but has impressed against Norwich in the last round of the FA Cup, Brighton in the league and Rafael Benitez's side on Sunday.

Conte, who admitted earlier this week that Chelsea will allow Batshuayi to leave in this transfer window, understands the striker wants to move to increase his chances of making it Belgium's World Cup squad.

In Pictures | FA Cup fourth round

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Speaking to reporters at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, Conte said: "Loan? I don’t know what happens. But when you play Premier League, Champions League and then FA Cup, if we have three strikers it is the minimum.

"We have to see what happens in the market. It doesn’t mean Michy has to go on loan. We have a lot of competitions. Three strikers is the minimum.

"I know there is a World Cup and every player wants to play to push the coach of their national team. But this is another situation. In this case, if the club decides to add another player, I don’t know if Michy wants to stay or go on loan, it will be the player’s decision not my decision.

"I’m ready to continue to work with these players. I’m very happy. But I don’t know what happens with the transfer market."

Conte went on to say that he doesn't know if Batshuayi's brace against Newcastle represented his best-ever showing in a Chelsea shirt, adding: "I don’t know if it’s his best game. For sure it was very important for the team and for him.

"We are talking about a young player, with a great potential. I showed, for me, the most important thing is the present, not the future. Otherwise I would have taken other choices.

"We are talking about a player working with us for one year and a half. In that time he improved a lot in many tactical situations. We are talking about a powerful player, he is strong physically and has a lot of space for improvement."

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