Chelsea were beaten by Manchester United to the signing of Romelu Lukaku from Everton with the Blues eventually settling for Alvaro Morata of Real Madrid.

Morata, 24, is expected to join the club this weekend and Conte claimed in a press conference today that he has always been Chelsea’s preferred option.

He spoke about the cost of signing quality players and said: “For sure this transfer market is a crazy market, but it is not only for this season but for the future seasons.

“Now there is crazy money, if you want to buy a normal player you need to spend 40-50 million Euro.

“It is the same. Lukaku cost a lot of money, the same with Lacazette. For a right back you spend 50-60 miliion Euro.”

He then admitted that Morata was his preferred choice for a centre-forward.

“It is very important the choice. Morata for sure is our first choice. He is a good player, the right prospect for Chelsea and hopes to show his value with us,” Conte said.

He added: “We have added a fantastic striker, even at a young age he has won a lot already and we are looking forward to welcoming him to the squad.”