Reports: Chelsea superstar wants to leave for AC Milan
What's the rumour?
Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata who arrived at Stamford Bridge last summer to much fanfare is now being linked with a move to Italy. According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Alvaro Morata is now willing to move to Italy with AC Milan as the Rossoneri are looking to sign a top striker to get themselves back on track.
In case you didn't know...
Morata arrived at Chelsea as their most expensive signing and got off to a great start, scoring 6 goals in 6 games. However, he failed to kick on in the same vein and Chelsea struggled throughout the season, in no small part, owing to their misfiring strikers and it ultimately ended in Antonio Conte getting the sack.
Olivier Giroud's arrival from Arsenal in January did not help Alvaro Morata's cause. He was, all of a sudden, playing second fiddle at Stamford Bridge. He is yet to entirely win over the Chelsea fanbase.
The heart of the matter
Following Leonardo's appointment as their new sporting director, Milan are soldiering on with their attempts to bolster their squad. A top striker is very high on their priority list and they have identified Alvaro Morata as the right man for the job.
The report also states that initial talks between Milan and Morata's camp have started and it goes on to say that they have said yes to the Italian giants.
However, in today's market, a striker of Alvaro Morata's stature won't come for cheap. Chelsea are expected to be holding out for at least £70 million for the striker.
Morata has previous experience of playing in Italy and was in great form for Juventus under Antonio Conte when they reached the final in 2015.
Though Chelsea have striking options in Michy Batshuayi and Olivier Giroud, they'd want a more prolific goalscorer to replace Morata if at all he's allowed to leave.
Rumour probability/rating: 7/10
Di Marzio is a reliable source and there could be some truth in this after all.
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What's next?
Alvaro Morata should ideally stay put at Chelsea and fight his way into recognition. Leaving the club on the back of a poor debut season sounds like a bad idea. AC Milan do not offer anything that Chelsea don't and he should really give Maurizio Sarri a chance to try and bring out the best of him.