Chelsea Steal March On Arsenal With £34m Striker Bid, Player Keen On London Move

The January transfer window is now closed but we can still look at deals that failed to get across the line and those being lined-up for the summer. Today, more on the future of Alvaro Morata…

Chelsea have stolen a march on Arsenal after tabling a £34m bid for Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata with the player believed to be keen to move to London, according to a report in the Express.

Morata’s future has been the subject of much speculation once again in recent weeks as he continues to find himself as a peripheral figure in Zinedine Zidane’s starting eleven.

The 24-year-old re-joined Madrid last summer following an impressive two-year spell at Juventus but he’s once again found himself behind the likes of Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo in the pecking order.

It’s led to Morata making just seven La Liga starts so far this campaign and the Express reported earlier this week that the striker had issued an ultimatum to Madrid that he’ll look for a move if his situation doesn’t change over the coming weeks.

The newspaper claimed that the news had alerted Arsenal and Chelsea with the London duo understood to be keen to lure Morata to the Premier League this summer after tracking him for some time.

However, it looks like Chelsea have now stolen a march on the Gunners as the Express are citing a report from Diario Gol that claims the Blues have tabled a formal £34m offer for the Spanish international.

Antonio Conte is expected to be in the market for another striker with Michy Batshuayi’s future at Stamford Bridge in serious doubt following a disappointing debut season at the club and Morata looks to be on the Chelsea bosses radar.

Conte knows the player well as he was the man to originally take Morata to Juventus ni 2014 and it appears the Italian coach is keen for a reunion in west London.

The Express claim that Morata is keen to make a move to the capital but Madrid are likely to reject Chelsea’s opening offer and hold out for a fee closer to £43m.

READ MORE –> Arsenal transfer news | Chelsea transfer news

It remains to be seen whether the Blues will be willing to match that figure, or whether Arsenal will step-up their interest to rival Chelsea for Morata’s signature, but it looks like he could once again be one of this summers hottest transfer sagas.

I think Morata has the potential to be a top class striker if he’s given a more prominent role at a club like Arsenal or Chelsea so I hope we see him plying his trade here in England next season.