Will Clint Godley
The Daily Star is reporting that Mourinho called the Real Madrid striker every day since May, in the hope of luring him to Old Trafford.
Morata was believed to be United’s first choice option to replace Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but Real Madrid played hard-ball. The Red Devils eventually chose to target Everton’s Romelu Lukaku.
Mourinho handed Morata his debut at Madrid and is an admirer of the Spaniard. Lukaku on the other hand, was pursued by him during his time at Chelsea. Calciomercato claim that Morata appreciated Mourinho’s efforts, and wanted to move to Old Trafford. However, his employers stood in his way.
The Portuguese also pursued Morata while he was the Chelsea boss, with a similar outcome back then as well. However, United have dumped their plans to land the Champions League winner and now look set to sign Lukaku for £75million.
The Everton forward netted 25 goals in the Premier League last season. His tally was only bettered by Tottenham’s Harry Kane. United are determined to sign a high-profile striker before the new season starts in August. Lukaku fits the bill, but wasn’t their first choice.
Some believed that Real Madrid were hoping to use Morata as a bargaining chip with the Manchester club, in the hope of signing goalkeeper David De Gea. However, that deal looks dead in the water now, with manager Zinedine Zidane happy to keep Keylor Navas between the sticks.
The news that Lukaku is close to moving to United, was met with a mixed response from the club’s fans this morning.
It seems strange that Chelsea fans also didn’t fancy signing him, when you consider his age and prolific career goal scoring record to date. The Belgian international has many assets, but many people are put off by his lack of work rate at times.
As for Morata, his future at the Santiago Bernabeu looks uncertain. United were the most interested party in his services and now they have moved on.
