Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi denies rumours he is gay and is about to come out

A tweet suggested the Chelsea striker was about to come out as homosexual and had already told his Blues team-mates.

However, the 24-year-old replied to The Chelsea Daily’s claim by posting: ‘Bro even your mother knows that’s false’.

The last openly gay player in England was Justin Fashanu, who took his own life in 1998.

However, former Stoke and West Brom defender Carl Hoefkens said recently he had been team-mates with three gay players, two of whom were in England.

He told De Zondag: “I played alongside three gay footballers, including one who was a genuinely big name.

“They did not hide who they were in the dressing-room."

The 39-year-old, who played for Stoke and West Brom between 2005 and 2009, added: “One was at Club Brugge, and the other two were in England.

“I won’t name names as I respect their requests. One of them would even arrive at training with his boyfriend.

“They asked us to keep quiet to the outside world, but don't ask me why.”