Jose Mourinho is a relieved man after seeing his club sign a striker at last – Romelu Lukaku from Everton. But as the early transfer season reports indicated, it was the interest in Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata that hogged headlines in Manchester, England and Spain.
Real Madrid kept changing the goal posts and remained adamant with their valuations of Morata which meant United moved on to Lukaku. Mourinho has revealed now that United were indeed interested in signing Morata (Marca).
It was widely believed that the player agreed on personal terms with Manchester United and it was only a matter of time before he made the switch. When things were not making a headway, Morata even cut short his honeymoon to push through his transfer.
All that came to nothing as Real did not flinch from their financial demands. United had tabled a bid of €75million while Real wanted nothing less than €80million (Marca).
Mourinho knows the player very well from his time at Real Madrid and was the one who gave him his senior club debut. That helped Mourinho maintain his interest in the player.
Now, Jose Mourinho admitted that the club did have an interest in the player and that it was obvious. He was quoted by IBTimes via Marca
“Yes, we have had interest, that is obvious and it’s public. We have not come to an economic agreement, that is obvious as well.”
After getting frustrated with Real and their unflinching demands for Morata, United swiftly moved to sign Lukaku from Everton. The Belgian striker was expected to move to Chelsea but a late offer from Old Trafford gazumped the Blues.
Interestingly, Antonio Conte and Chelsea are now looking at Morata to bolster their attacking options. The English Champions are expected to come up with a €80million offer and look to win the signature of Morata.
The 24-year-old played sparsely for Real last season because of the array of talents at the disposal of Zinedine Zidane. His goal scoring rate is phenomenal and hence provides a great option for any side. Morata is hungry for first-team action as he looks to establish himself in the Spanish national side.
Though we missed out on signing Morata, Lukaku is nothing short of the Spaniard and is a rather safe option to have. Lukaku has Premier League experience and suits Jose Mourinho’s style more than Alvaro Morata.
Let’s assume that everything happens for a good reason!
