Alvaro Morata could be set for his third spell at Santiago Bernabeu, with Real Madrid reportedly considering a summer move for the Chelsea striker.
According to a report by Don Balon, Alvaro Morata is a shock target for Real Madrid, who are scouring the market for attacking reinforcements. The Spanish striker has been heavily linked with a summer exit from Chelsea in this summer’s transfer window, with a possible return to Serie A being mooted as well.
A stunning start to the 2017-18 season was only a false dawn for Morata and Chelsea upon the Spaniard’s move from Real Madrid. His downfall was so rapid that January arrival Olivier Giroud had usurped him as the first-choice striker by the end of the season.
That Morata had only scored one league goal since the turn of the year was a contributing factor as well, and Chelsea are now in the market for a striker for the third successive transfer window. Morata though, continues to remain a popular figure in the transfer market. But, even the Spaniard wouldn’t have envisaged his former club, Real Madrid considering a move for him this summer.
The departure of Cristiano Ronaldo this month has sent Real Madrid into a tizzy, with the need to bolster attack now more urgent than ever before. Replacing Ronaldo will be nigh on impossible, given the stature of the player.
But, Real Madrid could replace his goals by signing a few prolific forwards, Morata being one of them. Under the tutelage of Zinedine Zidane, the Chelsea striker had only played second fiddle to Karim Benzema.
But, Julen Lopetegui is a manager who rates him quite highly, having overseen his progress in the Spain under-21 side as well as the senior team. Despite not taking him to the World Cup while in charge of Spain, the new Real Madrid manager is of the opinion that Morata could be one of the solutions in the final third for him.
Benzema looks set to leave Real Madrid after an illustrious nine-year stint. While the likes of Mauro Icardi, Harry Kane and Robert Lewandowski have been linked with a summer move, Morata could be a more approachable target, while also being quite an appealing prospect despite his struggles this past season.
The 25-year-old is unlikely to take much time to adjust in Spain once again. Add to that the fact that the Chelsea man was only behind Cristiano Ronaldo on the Real Madrid goalscoring charts in the 2016-17 season goes to reason just how dangerous he could be as a starter.
Juventus still remain the favourites to sign Morata. But, Real Madrid might just have a chance to bring him back to the Bernabeu for the third time, this time from Chelsea. The player is unlikely to be a cheap acquisition though even though he is likely to be available for transfer, and it remains to be seen if Los Blancos are prepared to pay a premium for him.
