Recently-crowned 12th-time Champions League winners Real Madrid are thought to have rejected a whopping £52.4-million bid from English giants Manchester United to buy the services of prolific striker Alvaro Morata.
The 24-year-old super striker has been in blistering form for Los Blancos last season, scoring 20 goals and assisting six more in a total 43 appearances, helping the club win the La Liga title, the Club World Cup, and the Champions League trophy along the way.
Such accuracy and clinical finishing is thought to have caught the attention of former Real Madrid boss and current Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho. It appears the Special One is a huge admirer of the Spanish forward and is keen to bring him to Old Trafford.
Moves have already been made in an attempt to do just that, but Real Madrid are not willing to play ball. Indeed, according to Sky Sports, Manchester United have already tabled a £52.4-million offer for Morata, but the Spanish capital club have rejected the bid, nor have they sent a counter.
Sources in England say Manchester United are prepared to come back to the table with a higher offer close to £60-million, although it remains to be seen if the Red Devils are prepared to pull the trigger on that move.
In our humble opinion, even in the climate of absurd transfer fees, such a deal doesn’t represent value for money.
Manchester United would be foolish if they think the Spanish international is really worth £60-million. Real Madrid have already off-loaded the player before, selling the Spaniard to Juventus for roughly £17-million in 2014, before buying him again two years later for £26-million.
Simple business logic suggests buying the player at this time, with this kind of record, is just not a wise move.
True, United need a striker who can score a ton of goals for them, but Morata is not the person they are looking for. There are better alternatives out there for the money United are offering: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund, Mauro Icardi from Inter Milan, and Alexander Lacazetter from Lyon, just to name a few.
The transfer market hasn’t even started yet – Manchester United can afford to wait.