MORATA JETS IN TO LONDON AFTER TALKS WITH TORRES
STRIKER GETS ADVICE FROM CHELSEA FLOP AS HE PREPARES TO FINALISE RECORD £70M DEAL
ALVARO MORATA arrived in London today to complete a club record £70million move to Chelsea after seeking advice from Fernando Torres, who flopped at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea had feared losing out to AC Milan but made a significant breakthrough in talks with Real Madrid yesterday and the deal is now just subject to a medical and personal terms.
The club expect matters to be completed within 24 hours and Morata will link up with the squad next week in Singapore, where Chelsea play Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.
Chelsea paid Liverpool £50m for Torres in 2011 but it is believed they will initially pay Real £8m more for Morata with the rest coming from add-ons.
Torres scored just 20 Premier League goals in three and a half years at Stamford Bridge before effectively leaving on a free transfer to AC Milan. Morata, who has also talked to fellow Spain international and Chelsea defender Cesar Azplicueta, said: “I have spoken with Fernando, who has told me he’ll give me a hand with whatever I need.
“I have been training hard for whatever outcome, but I was clear that this was my objective. It’s sad to leave Real Madrid, but I hope that everything will go well for me at Chelsea.”
The Blues are believed to be offering Morata a five-year contract worth around £170,000 a week.
Morata (right) was Antonio Conte’s first choice to strengthen the frontline when he took over last year and Standard Sport revealed the forward wanted to join the Italian in the capital.
Coach Conte played a major role in signing him for Juventus in 2014, where he spent two successful years before rejoining Real Madrid.
Chelsea could not agree a fee with the European champions last summer and then made Romelu Lukaku a priority, only to lose out to Manchester United earlier this month.
Morata, who wanted to leave Real to become a first-team regular, thought he was moving to Old Trafford a few weeks ago until they made that lastminute switch for Lukaku.
But the 24-year-old, who scored 15 goals in La Liga last term despite starting just 14 times, is delighted to play for Conte.
He said: “I’m going to the team managed by the coach who has placed the most faith in me and that’s great for me. I’m very happy.
“Again, I do not think I’m going back to Madrid, I find it difficult and for now it’s not something that I am considering. It was clear that the goal was to leave, it’s been a fairly strange summer and until I pass the medical examination, I’m not going to be calm.”
Chelsea return to the Champions League this season although they cannot play Real until the knockout stages as both clubs are among the top seeds.
“I hope [they meet],” said Morata. “That
would mean that both us and them are progressing in the Champions League. But I don’t want to think about it. Now all I am thinking about is getting to London.”
Chelsea had faced starting the season without a first-choice striker. Conte told Diego Costa last month he was not part of his plans and the striker is still on holiday in Brazil while Chelsea negotiate a sale with his former club Atletico Madrid.
Atletico have offered £26m but Chelsea are looking for closer to double that for a player who has won two Premier League titles since leaving the Vicente Calderon in 2014.
Chelsea have added Willy Caballero, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Antonio Rudiger to the squad this summer and plan more signings with Swansea forward Fernando Llorente being viewed as a back-up to Morata. The club are also keen on buying at least one full-back, a central midfielder and an attacking winger.
United missed out on Morata after failing to agree a fee. Speaking after news emerged that Morata was set to join the Blues, United boss Jose Mourinho said:“I’m not interested in what Chelsea does, really.”