Real Madrid turned down a sensational summer swap involving Álvaro Morata and Atlético Madrid’s José María Giménez, according to reports in Spain.
Radio broadcaster Cadena SER claims Atlético were keen on the striker, but Real – despite being admirers of defender Giménez – opted against such a deal as they want Morata at the Bernabéu next term.
Speaking on the programme ‘El Larguero’, the journalist David Alonso explained that club president Florentino Pérez and coach Zinedine Zidane both see Morata as an important addition to the first-team squad. Morata, who departed Madrid for Italian champions Juventus in 2014, was bought back by Los Merengues for 30 million euros in June.
The 23-year-old has been re-signed by Los Blancos as part of the initial deal that took him to Juventus and it is expected that Zinedine Zidane will inform Morata that he’s integral to Los Merengues’ attack.By the time the Jose Mourinho era reached its ugly end at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, it was thought that having two centre-forwards competing against each other was doing them more harm than good.
Whilst Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale remain untouchable, the French striker does not and he will be acutely aware of Morata’s desire to take his shirt.Zidane has already shown he isn’t afraid to bench one of the club’s superstars with James Rodriguez the most high-profile name dropped during the Frenchman’s reign thus far.
Morata’s future itself isn’t set in stone especially with Chelsea and Antonio Conte interested in signing him.Now that he isn’t the same academy graduate who left the club two years ago in search of minutes, the Spaniard may well see a rotation policy as unappealing, given that he’s a legitimate star in his own right with his Euro 2016 performances proving as much.For the moment it appears as though Real Madrid are returning to a two striker policy.
