Chelsea have agreed terms with Real Madrid for the signature of Spain striker Alvaro Morata, as the Premier League club announced the news on social media on Wednesday evening.
The 24-year-old has left the London club's training camp in the USA to agree personal terms which are considered a formality at this stage.
We have agreed terms with Real Madrid for the transfer of Alvaro Morata...https://t.co/uuenBgcPH2
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 19, 2017
The Blues turned to Morata after their hopes of bringing Romelu Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge fell through thanks to Manchester United, who focused attentions on the Belgian after Real Madrid refused to budge on their asking price for Morata which some thought was out of spite due to their frosty relationship in terms of negotiations in recent times.
Those suggestions will be amplified now that Real Madrid have agreed to sell Morata to Chelsea for an initial fee of £58m, nearly £20m less than they were demanding from the Old Trafford club.
Exclusive - initial fee Chelsea will pay for Morata is 'just' £58m. Quite a coup i'd suggest in this market #cfc https://t.co/YOWwgsi4rV
— Matt Law (@Matt_Law_DT) July 19, 2017
Told @ChelseaFC fee for Morata near (under) £60m. Interesting to see how he + Lukaku do given it was expected they would join the other team
— Simon Stone (@sistoney67) July 19, 2017
Matt Law of the Guardian, a reliable source for Chelsea news, has confirmed that £58m will be paid up front, a new transfer record for Chelsea eclipsing the £50m fee paid to Liverpool for Fernando Torres.
Alex Ferguson once famously said that he wouldn't sell 'that lot' a virus, but after relations between the two clubs eased following his departure it seems that the David De Gea saga has not gone down well in Spain.
Morata and Lukaku will now be compared to an insufferable degree throughout the season, but in the current market £58m for Morata is, astonishingly, a good bit of business.
