Real Madrid have reportedly decided that striker Alvaro Morata is not for sale this summer, despite intense speculation suggesting otherwise last month.
The La Liga giants exercised the buy-back clause in the Spaniard’s contract with Juventus last month, with a view of selling him on to a Premier League club for a profit.
However, according to AS, that strategy has been ruled out now with the club deciding that they will not consider offers for the forward as he will stay at the Bernabeu for the foreseeable future.
Morata’s agent, Juanma Lopez, reportedly met with Real officials at the Bernabeu on Monday to discuss an offer from Chelsea believing that his client would be sold this summer.
Instead, the club informed him that they wouldn’t be selling Morata, as he is now considered as an important part of the team, as noted by AS. Real have seemingly been convinced by his performances for Juventus and Spain, and believe he is ready to feature heavily in the first-team.
In turn, that will be a blow for the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United, with all three Premier League giants explicitly named in the report as being interested in signing the Real ace ahead of the new campaign.
From a Real perspective, it is a marked change in direction with regards to Morata as it had been assumed that the 23-year-old would be available for sale.
However, he’ll be boosted by their new approach having insisted throughout the summer that he merely wants an important role at his next club as he hopes to build on his success in Turin and continue to develop his game.
With Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale the preferred attacking trident in the Spanish capital, it was difficult to see where he would fit in. It appears that Real have plans to use him though, and that will now rule out a move to England.