Chelsea Transfer News: Alvaro Morata, Paul Pogba, Alexandre Pato, Top Rumours
Real Madrid will reportedly re-sign Juventus striker Alvaro Morata this summer, only to allow him to go straight to Chelsea.
According to Nizaar Kinsella, Romeo Agresti and Alberto Pinero of Goal.com, Los Blancos "are ready to exercise their" €30 million buyback clause to bring Morata back to the Santiago Bernabeu, but Morata may not command a starting berth there, and "Chelsea are among the clubs who would be tempted to pay a high price" to get him.
The Blues are in need of firepower up front either to provide support for Diego Costa or to replace him should he depart, and Morata would make an excellent candidate.
Morata has scored 11 goals and assisted on as many for the Bianconeri this season, per Transfermarkt. The 23-year-old has particularly stood out in the UEFA Champions League during his time in Turin, netting in both legs of last year's semi-final and the final itself and contributing to a stunning goal against Bayern Munich this year, per BT Sport Football:
Though there's certainly room for improvement in terms of his goal return in the league, the Spaniard's pace and finishing ability give him the perfect platform to become one of Europe's top strikers in the future.
If Real do activate his buyback clause, it would seem like a strange decision to allow him to leave, though—the club may well face atransfer ban next year, and he's an upgrade on current back-ups Jese Rodriguez and Lucas Vazquez.
The Blues could be set to miss out on Morata's Juve team-mate, Paul Pogba, this summer, as the Frenchman is seemingly set to stay put.
Director general Beppe Marotta told Mediaset Premium (h/t Jamie Styles of the Daily Star) he will not be sold despite interest from Chelsea and Manchester City: "City asked for Pogba last year, but we politely said no. Along with [Paulo] Dybala, Pogba is one of the most popular players [for interest from other clubs]. But it is in Juventus' DNA not to give in."
Marotta accepted the club have sold key players in the past, but at this moment in time, Pogba won't be one of them: "There was [Zinedine] Zidane some time ago and [Arturo] Vidal last year. But it is not yet time to give up Pogba. He is not on the market."
Pogba leaving Juventus no longer appears the cut-and-dry issue it once seemed, so it wouldn't be at all surprising if the Old Lady do resist any further attempts to buy him this summer. But, equally, a big move elsewhere does seem somewhat inevitable down the line, so Chelsea will hope they can land him in the future.
Meanwhile, Chelsea star Willian is hopeful team-mate Alexandre Pato's loan spell at Stamford Bridge will become permanent, according to Igor Rodrigues of GloboEsporte.com (h/t Metro's George Bellshaw):I have a very good relationship with him [Pato]. I have played with him in youth teams, he is a great friend of mine. He does not know his situation; we do not know if he will stay or go. He wants to stay here. I hope it can be resolved as soon as possible. It would be nice if he stayed here. It would be cool for us and very positive.
The 26-year-old has only made two appearances since arriving in January this summer, scoring once.
Having had such little chance to impress, it's difficult to tell whether he could be a useful back-up to Costa next season. He still has youth on his side and has the opportunity to reignite his career in European football, but the fact it took him until April to make his first appearance, and he hasn't featured in their last three games, might also be telling.
Lastly, according to Simon Johnson of the Evening Standard, Chelsea are reportedly monitoring former Blues youngster Josh McEachran, whom they sold to Brentford last summer.
According to Johnson, former Blues stars Michael Ballack and Deco were admirers of his and "they told the club not to sell McEachran, believing he was good enough to play for the first team," but after a series of loan spells, he was shipped out for £750,000.
A return this summer seems unlikely, as the midfielder has made just 16 appearances this season due to breaking his foot twice. Per Johnson, it is unknown if the Blues have the option to bring him back to Stamford Bridge as part of their deal with Brentford.