Chelsea’s Alvaro Morata agrees to join Atletico Madrid. Balague said the deal is subject to Chelsea signing a replacement and Atletico selling a striker.
Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata has reached a personal agreement to join Atletico Madrid, says Spanish football expert Guillem Balague.
Chelsea is reportedly close to signing Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain, who is on loan at AC Milan. Morata, 26, joined Chelsea for a then club record £60m in July 2017 but has struggled this season.
The Spain international, who signed a five-year deal when moving to Stamford Bridge, was left out of the squad for five of their past seven Premier League games and has scored nine goals in 24 games in all competitions this season.
Balague said Morata reached an agreement with Sevilla but changed his mind after being contacted by Atletico, another La Liga side.
Nikola Kalinic or Gelson Martins are the players most likely to be sold by Spanish side Atletico. “It seems to be a matter of finding a buyer for Kalinic,” Balague said.
Speaking on the BBC 5 live Football Daily Podcast, he added: “Everything else seems to be in place for Morata to abandon what feels like a nightmare.”
