AC Milan have reportedly joined Arsenal and Chelsea in the race to sign Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid in the summer.
Spanish publication Marca have reported that Alvaro Morata is the subject of interest of AC Milan. The Serie A club are set to battle Arsenal and Chelsea to land the Spanish striker from Real Madrid in the summer transfer window.
Morata rejoined Real Madrid from Juventus last summer when the club decided to exercise their buy-back option for the striker. However, the player has endured an underwhelming return to the Santiago Bernabeu having had to play second fiddle to Karim Benzema for large parts of the campaign.
That is despite boasting better numbers than the Frenchman, with Morata finding the back of the net 20 times in all competitions to Benzema’s 19, with the senior striker playing over 1200 minutes more.
Milan is closing in on Morata as they make him their summer priority. Contacts already been made and Milan will offer €60M. [marca] pic.twitter.com/pTOu0DYvbT
— SB (@Realmadridplace) May 24, 2017
Hence, it is not surprising that Morata is unsettled at Real Madrid and looking for a move away from the club in the summer. Should that happen, several clubs will be vying for his signature, with Arsenal, Chelsea and AC Milan believed to be the front-runners.
At Arsenal, a mass exodus is reportedly on the cards, with several attacking players linked with a summer exit from the Emirates. The team’s talisman, Alexis Sanchez is the biggest of these players, and should the Chilean move away from North London, Arsene Wenger will be in serious need to sign a top quality attacking player.
Hence, he has reportedly turned his attention towards Morata – a player who, at 24, still has his best years ahead of him and could prove to be a long-term solution in attack for Arsenal.
Meanwhile, newly-crowned Premier League champions Chelsea, too, are in search of a striker with Diego Costa’s future at Stamford Bridge mired in uncertainty. With little clarity on the Costa’s situation at Stamford Bridge, Antonio Conte has reportedly identified Morata as a viable replacement for his star striker.
Morata, himself, has previously confessed his desire to play under the Chelsea boss, which could prove to be decisive for the Blues during negotiations. However, Chelsea and Arsenal are set to face competition for Morata’s signature in the form of AC Milan.
The Italian heavyweights are all set for a squad overhaul in the summer with the club’s new owners, the Rossoneri Sport Investment Lux, willing to invest heavily in order to oversee a return to the top of Serie A.
Carlos Bacca has endured a torrid time at San Siro and is likely to leave in the summer, while Gianluca Lapadula is seen as a squad player. Morata’s addition would, thus, add a lot of quality to attack as Milan aim for a resurgent 2017/18 season.
Milan’s sporting director Massimiliano Mirabelli has also reportedly established contact with Morata’s representatives, and the Rossoneri are prepared to shell out €60 million to secure his services in the summer.
Morata should not take long to settle at San Siro as he boasts of previous experience in the Serie A, having played for Juventus for two seasons. It now remains to be seen if Milan can prise the striker away from Arsenal and Chelsea, or if either of the two London rivals can manage to sign him in the summer.
