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Chelsea have issued an ultimatum to Atlético Madrid over Alvaro Morata. Sign him up to a permanent deal or his loan move is off and he will be recalled to Stamford Bridge.
Atlético took Morata on an 18-month loan in January of this year, but the agreement between the two clubs contained an option for Chelsea to recall him early if Atlético were not prepared to buy him, with a price tag of £50 million put on his head by the Stamford Bridge outfit.
At the time the deal was negotiated, Chelsea were fairly relaxed about the arrangement, because their position has changed significantly. Facing a two window transfer ban, Chelsea may prefer to have the misfiring Morata back on their books, as they look to replace the goals of the departed Eden Hazard, who has joined Real Madrid.
There is now a question mark over whether Atlético can afford to buy Morata at that price, because they are set to fund the purchase of Joao Felix from Benfica for a fee close to £113 million.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.