Midfielder makes Blues stay claim

Oriol Romeu has scotched reports linking him with a move away from Chelsea this summer as he aims to stay put and fight for his place.

The 20-year-old midfielder, who joined the Blues in a £4.35million switch from Barcelona last August, made just 11 starts in his debut Premier League campaign. However, only two of Romeu's appearances came after Andre Villas-Boas was sacked in early March which indicated that interim boss Roberto di Matteo did not fancy him much as a player. Despite that, the Spain Under-21 international has no plans to try and leave the Champions League winners this close-season as he is determined to prove he is worthy of a place in the starting XI at Stamford Bridge next term. "I have a contract, and my dream is to play," Romeu told goal.com. "I demonstrated to myself that I could play early in the season, and I think I'm able. Hopefully next season I will enjoy more minutes on the pitch. "For me, the season at Chelsea has been spectacular, especially the achievement of winning the Champions League. It's something I always dreamed of as a child."