UK Edition
Alvaro Morata can leave Chelsea in January if a replacement is found as Atletico Madrid and Sevilla circle
Chelsea will allow Alvaro Morata to leave Stamford Bridge this month if they can secure a replacement, with Atletico Madrid ready to rival Sevilla’s bid to sign the out-of-form striker.
Morata missed the Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg defeat to Tottenham Hotspur with what Chelsea described as a ‘minor hamstring injury’.
Chelsea's players are convinced Morata is desperate to cut short his unhappy spell in England and the club are prepared to let him go, either on loan or permanently, if they can land one of their forward targets.
Morata’s agent has travelled to London to discuss the possibility of a move, with Sevilla declaring their interest and sources in Spain claiming Atletico sporting director Andrea Berta and club representatives are in England and talking to Chelsea about a loan with the option to make the move permanent.
An agreement for Morata to leave permanently for a set fee in the summer would be ideal for Chelsea and would allow them to start looking for both short-term and long-term replacements.
Head coach Maurizio Sarri would ideally like to replace Morata with Gonzalo Higuain this month and talks over the possibility of cutting his AC Milan loan from Juventus short are ongoing.
Among the other options Chelsea have considered for January and beyond are Bournemouth’s Callum Wilson and Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy.
Asked in Spain whether the signing of Morata would cause him a selection headache, Sevilla manager Pablo Machin said: “A problem? Not at all. Having Morata would be a bloody blessing for me. Many teams want him because he's worth it. The aim of the club is clear: we want to bring the best in. If due to finances it can't go ahead, nobody can feel frustrated. If we can't, we will lower the bar a bit.”
Morata joined Chelsea for a then club record £57million in July 2017, but, following an encouraging start, there has been a feeling he has never properly settled in England or the Premier League and has suffered a crisis of confidence.
Sevilla are not the only club to go public over one of Chelsea’s players, as Bayern Munich have confirmed their desire to sign Callum Hudson-Odoi.
The Blues fear they are fighting a losing battle to keep Hudson-Odoi with Bayern prepared to pay in excess of £30million and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic said: “He’s a very interesting player whom we absolutely want to sign. He has qualities that fit our game. His dribbling, he’s fast, has a good move to the goal.”
Bayern have not broken any rules by stating their interest in Hudson-Odoi, but Chelsea will consider reporting the German club to Fifa if they feel there could be evidence of them approaching the winger or his representatives.
January promises to be a busy month for Chelsea with the club still trying to sign a replacement for Cesc Fabregas, who has agreed a three-and-a-half-year contract to join Monaco but has been told he cannot go until a new midfielder moves to Stamford Bridge.
Sarri wants to sign Cagliari midfielder Nicolo Barella and discussions have taken place between Chelsea and the Italian club with the potential for a player to head in the opposite direction. Negotiations over Zenit St Petersburg’s Leandro Paredes have also been ongoing.