Manchester United have £52m Alvaro Morata bid rejected by Real Madrid who want an astonishing £78.6m
Jose Mourinho is set to spend big this summer to turn his side into title-contenders - with Morata tipped to lead the line
MANCHESTER UNITED have made a £52million offer for Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata - that has been rejected out of hand.
Boss Jose Mourinho is desperate to reinforce his forward line with Zlatan Ibrahimovic out injured and Wayne Rooney's career far from clear.
And it appears Morata has been identified as being the man the Premier League giants want to lead their forward line, according to Sky sources in Italy.
Keep up to date with all the latest news, gossip, rumours and done deals in SunSport’slive transfer blog
But the La Liga giants have reportedly rejected the bid, believed to be holding out for as much as £78.6m for the 24-year-old Spanish international.
United's original offer DID NOT include David De Gea, the goalkeeper being a long-time target for the Spanish giants.
And the sources have said that if Jose Mourinho's pursuit for Morata proves unsuccessful, he will turn his attentions to Torino striker Andrea Belotti.
Most Read In Football
SunSport reported earlier today (Tuesday) how Morata has emerged as the man United want to replace Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the club’s main striker.
The Spanish forward is viewed as the more viable option by the Red Devils rather than Everton’s Romelu Lukaku and Torino’s Andrea Belotti.
According to the , any deal with Madrid for Morata will be separate to talks over goalkeeper David De Gea heading to the Bernabeu.
Any potential fee that is agreed will be far lower than the £100m Premier League rivals Everton want for Lukaku or the £87m release fee in Belotti’s Torino contract.
Mourinho is desperate to bolster his attack this summer, especially after the cruciate ligament knee injury Ibrahimovic suffered in April to rule him out for nearly a year.
United could face competition for Morata from Chelsea, with Antonio Conte holding an interest in the Spaniard.
The attacker netted 15 times in 26 La Liga matches to help Madrid win the league and he appeared off the bench during the Champions League triumph over Juventus on Saturday.