La Liga giants Atletico Madrid has reportedly inquired about the availability of Chelsea's Álvaro Morata, according to Sky sources. The 25-year-old forward has been linked with a return to Spain and the likes of Barcelona and Sevilla have all been cited as the player's potential destination.
Having failed to fully adjust to life at Chelsea following his arrival from Real Madrid last season, the Blues aim to cash in on their investment. In his place, the London club is reportedly closing in on the signing of Juventus loanee at AC Milan Gonzalo Higuain. The Argentine worked together with Chelsea head coach Maurizio Sarri during his spell at Napoli.
Under the Italian manager, Morata has managed just nine goals in 24 appearances across all competitions. Having been put up for sale, the out-of-favor attacker was initially rumored to be in talks with Sevilla.
However, the Andalusians reportedly opted out of the negotiations due to the enormous price tag slapped on the former Real Madrid striker by Chelsea.
"Sevilla is a desirable team for any footballer and Morata wanted to come here, but when we started talking about costs, we realized that it was impossible," Sevilla director of football, Joaquin Caparros, stated at a press conference during the unveiling of Munir El Haddadi who was signed from Barcelona earlier this month.
With the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan outfit backing out of the deal, Atletico Madrid is reportedly keen to give Alvaro Morata an escape route. Sky Sports' Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that the Spanish outfit has already seen a first bid rejected by Chelsea.
Talks ongoing between Atlético Madrid and Chelsea for Alvaro #Morata. Chelsea have refused the first bid but Atléti are going to make a new offer soon to find the total agreement. #CFC #Chelsea #transfers
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 14, 2019
However, a deal is expected to be brokered soon with Diego Simeone's side lining up an improved offer. Spanish publication Marca has also revealed that Morata has agreed to take a pay-cut in order to fast-forward his move to Atletico Madrid.
Relatively, Los Rojiblancos are hoping to cash in on one of their attackers in order to create room for Morata's arrival before the end of the winter transfer window. Gelson Martins and Nikola Kalinic have been tipped as the potential candidates to be sold.
