Chelsea agree £65million Alvaro Morata deal as Antonio Conte finally lands Real Madrid striker
Blues secure forward to replace Diego Costa after missing out to Manchester United on Romelu Lukaku
ANTONIO CONTE has finally won his battle for a striker after Chelsea agreed a club-record £65million fee with Real Madrid for Alvaro Morata.
Morata is set to break off from Madrid’s pre-season tour of the US to thrash out personal terms with the Premier League champions.
Striking a deal for Morata ends weeks of frustration for Conte who sees a new frontman as vital for the defence of the title next season.
It also means he has won his battle with rebel Diego Costa who will now be free to negotiate his return to Atletico Madrid.
The agreement for Morata comes just 24 hours after Conte himself agreed a new two year contract which doubled his money to £10m a year.
Chelsea landed in China yesterday morning for a pre-season trip of their own and now look to have completed their fourth major signing of the summer.
New defender Antonio Rudiger is with them in the Far East along with keeper Willy Caballero.
Midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko has stayed at home to recuperate after knee surgery.
Alvaro Morata factfile: The lethal striker dubbed 'The Goal Machine'
- Alvaro Morata, aged 24, was born in Madrid, Spain, in October 1992.
- He spent two years at Atletico Madrid’s academy before moving on to Getafe and then Real in 2008, still a junior player.
- Morata made his debut for Real in August 2010, scoring against Castilla.
- He joined Juventus in July 2014 for £17.5million but Real retained an option to buy him back.
- After scoring 27 goals in 93 games in Italy, Real bought Morata back for £26million in 2016.
- Last season he managed 20 goals for Real, his best return.
- He made his international debut for Spain in 2014 and has nine goals from 20 games.
- Morata is a complete modern striker, who is strong on the ball, has energy and pace, and at 6ft 2in is also lethal in the air.
Morata, 24, has been a leading choice to replace Costa for months even though Chelsea failed with a £75m bid for Everton’s Romelu Lukaku who has since joined Manchester United.
He has struggled for first team action at Real Madrid but is now ready to be relaunched on English football by Conte next season.
Relieved Conte will be delighted to get a new forward on board even though delicate negotiations over pay and terms remain.
Costa was told by Conte last month that he had no future at Chelsea in a heated text exchange and the pair have never seen eye to eye.
Conte has now effectively bought a whole new spine for his team and is much better equipped to defend the Premier League crown and challenge in the Champions League.
