Juventus striker Alvaro Morata. (Photo : Getty Images)
La Liga giants Real Madrid had reportedly slapped a £60 million (€78.5 million) price tag on Alvaro Morata which could result in English Premier League giants Manchester United, Arsenal, and Chelsea abandoning their chase for the Spanish striker.
The 23-year-old Spain international, who played for Italian Serie A champions Juventus in the last two seasons that both resulted in domestic championships, was bought back by Real on Tuesday from the Turin residents for £23 million (€30 million) and are now ready to sell him for a huge profit.
Morata's five-year contract with the Old Lady two summers ago came with a buyback clause that would give his then former club the option to purchase him back anytime in the future after they sold him for £15.3 million (€20 million).
The clause was said to be recently activated by Los Blancos while the striker is still representing his country in the ongoing 2016 UEFA European Championship.
However, Caught Offside noted that such a high price tag of £60 million could mean that the Spanish capital city squad really has "no plans of selling Morata in the near future" and could turn off the striker's "pursuers Arsenal, Man United, and Chelsea".
Morata had become one of the most talented young goalscorers in Italy during the recently concluded term, netting seven goals in 34 appearances in the Italian top flight while scoring 12 times in 47 games in all competitions.
Meanwhile, the Daily Mirror noted that the high transfer fee could "scare off" the Gunners and leave it to be a "straight fight between" the Blues and the Red Devils for the Madrid native.
New Man United head coach Jose Mourinho and incoming Chelsea manager Antonio Conte are both allegedly in the hunt for a young striker this summer and are given huge transfer kitties by their clubs to pull off their preferred signings in the coming transfer window.
Conte is predicted as Morata's eventual buyer as Mourinho had recently said that they are ready to take him for only £50 million.
Morata had been a regular starter of Spain national team boss Vicente del Bosque and has scored twice in three matches for La Furia Roja so far. His impressive form in this summer's Euros is perhaps the reason of the sharp increase in his value.
