Former Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata, whose Chelsea career is already showing signs of unraveling within the first season, is a summer target for Atletico Madrid.
According to Spanish publication Don Balon, Alvaro Morata could be set to leave Chelsea after just one season at Stamford Bridge. The former Real Madrid striker was already a target for Bayern Munich and Juventus. But, it seems Atletico Madrid are also interested and will attempt to bring the player back to the Spanish capital.
Alvaro Morata arrived in England with high hopes as Chelsea splashed the cash on the Real Madrid target man. The Spaniard did start out well, with 6 goals and 2 assists in his first 6 Premier League games. But, his form has dwindled, with the player managing to add just 5 more goals to his Premier League tally since.
Olivier Giroud seems to have found his footing after arriving from Arsenal in January and there are signs that indicate that the Frenchman has already disposed Morata as the first-choice at Chelsea under Antonio Conte, who seems to be preferring the in-form target man over the former Real Madrid striker.
Conte though, is likely to depart at the end of the season, meaning Morata could start from scratch at Chelsea under a new manager. But, as per the reports, the 25-year-old could be heading back to Madrid in the summer, albeit to Real Madrid’s local rivals Atletico Madrid.
Diego Simeone knows well enough that the interest being generated by Antoine Griezmann is likely to make it difficult for the club to keep a hold of their talisman in the summer. Add to that the fact that Atletico Madrid have decided against handing a new contract to Fernando Torres, who will now be leaving at the end of the season, and the forward line will become seriously thin, especially if Griezmann does end up departing.
Morata was a proven goalscorer at Juventus and during his second spell at Real Madrid, with the Spaniard only leaving the Bernabeu after Zidane insisted on favouring Karim Benzema in the starting lineup, despite Morata having a far superior contribution to minutes ratio.
While a return to Spain and the Spanish capital might interest Morata, a bigger attraction would be the fact that Atletico Madrid are likely to finish in the Champions League qualification places in La Liga and will be able to offer Champions League football to the 25-year-old, something Chelsea, in all likelihood, will not be able to next season.
An additional incentive would be the prospect of leading the line against Zidane, Benzema and Real Madrid and exact his revenge, proving that he indeed was the better choice at the Bernabeu.
Morata’s career at Chelsea started brightly, but the damp spell that has followed could see the Spaniard consider the prospect of joining Atletico Madrid seriously. Who knows, we might just see Morata lead the Atletico line in the Madrid derby next season.