Atletico Madrid are in talks to sign Alvaro Morata from Chelsea.
Morata has been linked with a Stamford Bridge exit after losing his place as Chelsea’s first-choice striker, with boss Maurizio Sarri preferring to utilise Eden Hazard as his main point of reference in attack.
The former Real Madrid striker could be set for a return to the Spanish capital, less than two years after joining Chelsea in a club-record £70m deal.
Morata has been linked with both Sevilla and Barcelona in recent weeks but Atletico – the club where he began his youth career – now look like frontrunners for his signature.
Chelsea sold Diego Costa back to Atletico just three months after signing Morata.
But Costa has struggled to stay fit this season and has scored just one goal in 11 La Liga matches, prompting Atletico to look for another attacking option to complement Antoine Griezmann.
Blues boss Sarri has made no secret of his desire to add two players to his Chelsea squad and has targeted a reunion with former Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain, who is currently on loan at AC Milan from Juventus.
Higuain is Chelsea’s priority to reinforce their attack although the club are also weighing up a move for Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson, with the England international also interesting West Ham, who may need a replacement for Marko Arnautovic.
[“source=skysports”]