Transfer Rumour: Arsenal join Chelsea and Manchester United in race to sign Alvaro Morata

Arsenal have reportedly joined Chelsea and Manchester United in the race to sign Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid in the summer.

According to a report in The Sun, Arsenal have identified Alvaro Morata as a potential replacement for Alexis Sanchez. The Gunners are now ready to battle Chelsea and Manchester United in pursuit of the Real Madrid striker in the summer transfer window.

Morata rejoined Real Madrid last summer after Los Blancos exercised their buy-back option in the Spaniard’s contract with Juventus. However, his second spell with the Spanish giants has been much like the first one – as he has continued to play second fiddle to Karim Benzema.

This time around, though, the numbers suggest that he deserves a longer run in Zinedine Zidane’s side that he is being afforded currently. The 24-year-old has scored 20 goals in all competitions this season, which is three more than Benzema has managed despite playing over 1200 minutes more.

Therefore, it comes as no surprise that Morata is reportedly eager to move away from the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer. And if he does end up leaving Real Madrid, there will be no shortage of suitors vying for his signature.

Chelsea and Manchester United have been heavily linked with a move for Morata, and the two Premier League rivals have now been joined by Arsenal in the race to sign him.

The Gunners are in a precarious situation with several attacking players being linked with summer exits from the Emirates, none bigger than the team’s talisman, Alexis Sanchez. The Chilean was a revelation playing as the focal point of the Arsenal attack for large parts of the campaign before he returned to the left wing.

However, what’s concerning for Arsenal supporters as well as manager, Arsene Wenger, is that Sanchez has long been embroiled in a contract standoff with the North London club, and with just over a year remaining on his deal with them, speculation is rife that he could be on the move in the summer.

Morata is, thus, being eyed as a potential replacement for Sanchez, with Arsenal reigniting their interest in him following their failed pursuit of him in 2014. Meanwhile, Manchester United are in dire need of a top quality of striker, with a cruel knee injury possibly ending Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s career with the Red Devils.

With the Swede no longer an option to consider, Jose Mourinho has just Marcus Rashford at his disposal and is, thus, keen to recruit a striker in the summer. Chelsea, too, are identifying viable targets to lead the attack at Stamford Bridge,with Diego Costa’s future mired in uncertainty.

Should the Spain striker move away from the West London club in the summer, his international teammate could well be replacing him at SW6. Morata, himself, has previously confessed his desire to work with Chelsea manager Antonio Conte, which could hand the Blues an advantage during negotiations.

However, Arsenal are ready to take a decisive step in their bid to sign Morata, as they are ready to break the club transfer record by shelling out £50 million to secure his services in the summer. It now remains to be seen how Chelsea and Manchester United respond to this, but an all-out transfer war could well be in the offing.