Chelsea legend suggests alternative target to Morata

Matt Stead

Chelsea should pursue Andrea Belotti instead of Alvaro Morata, according to club legend Gianfranco Zola.

The Blues had targeted a deal for former striker Romelu Lukaku this summer, but Manchester United have swooped in to sign the Everton forward for £75million.

That has left Chelsea still needing to replace Diego Costa, who is expected to leave the club after falling out with manager Antonio Conte.

Morata is now considered the club’s main target, but Zola believes a deal for Torino forward Belotti should be explored.

“To be honest, I was thinking Chelsea should go for Andrea Belotti in Italy,” he told talkSPORT.

“I thought that considering the type of qualities Costa has, that Belotti was the perfect fit.

“Morata is a little bit different, he’s more of a finesse player. He hasn’t got the presence of a player like Costa in the box. He’s a different player, he brings other qualities.

“Costa was very influential last season, he’s a type of player who fits with the style of football at Chelsea, and that [finding a like-for-like replacement] will be the key for Chelsea.”