Chelsea are prepared to lose Diego Costa and have made provisions to replace him with the arrival of Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid.
But despite Chelsea breaking their transfer record to snap up the 24-year old forward, he may not be guaranteed starting position at Stamford Bridge, especially as Michy Batshuayi hangs on his shoulders.
The Belgian scored two goals against Arsenal in Beijing and hopes to get more opportunities to impress after his struggles in the Premier League last season.
Batshuayi is the same age as Morata at 24, and knows this is his time to shine either alongside the former Real Madrid man or upfront alone if he manages to convince Conte.
Cesc Fabregas thinks it’s an open fight and anyone could win, although he wants both men scoring in what would be a difficult season.
They are taking this challenge and they will be under pressure. When you’re the striker of a top team this is what you live with and they will have to cope with it.
I’ve always had a good understanding with him. He’s always been a striker with a little bit of everything. He has a lot of potential, the same as [Michy] Batshuayi. It’s up to them how far they want to go.
They are two young strikers who will have to improve as quick as possible because they are our main strikers. And if you are going to fight for all competitions, you need your strikers to score lots of goals.
Cesc Fabregas, the Sun
Batshuayi scored five goals in the Premier League last season after only one start and 19 substitute appearances while Morata scored 15 goals for Real in the Spanish top flight, making 14 starts.
