Chelsea set steep price for Álvaro Morata — report

Italian outfit AC Milan and their new owners, American hedge fund Elliot, are looking to reinforce their ailing attack. In their sights, they have Chelsea striker Álvaro Morata, for whom they will have to pay a big price.

According to Italian journalist and crumbling Oracle Gianluca Di Marzio, Chelsea want between €65-70 million, as the clubs start to discuss Morata’s potential switch to San Siro.

Bringing in a new striker is the priority of Milan's new football director, Leonardo, with Morata, Juventus’ Gonzalo Higuaín and AS Monaco’s Radamel Falcao in their shortlist. Chelsea’s asking price, which is rather steep for Milan’s still delicate finances, might force them into looking elsewhere.

The asking price would have Chelsea basically breaking even with what was spent on Morata last summer to get him from Real Madrid. Fair enough, if our intentions are indeed to let go of him.

However, despite a mixed first season and a poor showing against Perth Glory in Sarri's first match, Morata’s talent and potential is still there. The question is whether he wants to realise it at Chelsea.

Perhaps the attractions of Italy, which is the home country of his wife and the place in which he spent two largely happy years with Juventus, have a bigger draw than staying in England. If that is the basis for all these rumours linking him to a return to the Boot, then we better let him leave for the place in which he feels the most comfortable, instead of forcing a relationship that will not work out.