Chelsea have been trying to get rid of Alvaro Morata this January, and they’ve had some serious bites in Spain. The Sun have a good summary of the situation here, but in summary – Sevilla got priced out, Barcelona and Atletico want him, but neither want a compulsory option to buy included.
That seems fair enough.
Atleti seem the more determined to get him, and can offer him more playing time, so it makes sense for Morata to go there. He’s also from the city, which always helps.
It makes sense for Atleti because they need options up front, and if they’re just paying his wages it’s a risk worth taking to see if they can get him scoring again when he’s back on home soil.
For Chelsea, even if they don’t get the permanent deal they want included, they will at least get him off their books for 6 months, hopefully raising his value in Spain, rather than being out of the squad entirely at Stamford Bridge.
That’s the reason this move is likely now – it works for all three interested parties.
