Chelsea issue Alvaro Morata ultimatum to Atletico Madrid

Alvaro Morata at Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid have been given a decision to make regarding their on-loan striker Alvaro Morata: pay £50m, or he'll return to Chelsea. 

Morata is six months into an 18-month loan at Atletico, but Chelsea have the option to recall him if Madrid don't make the move permanent.

With Chelsea banned from signing new players, and having already lost Eden Hazard, Morata may get another chance to make an impact at Stamford Bridge. 

Currently their only strikers are Olivier Giroud, Michy Batshuayi and Tammy Abraham, with Gonzalo Higuain returning to Juventus after his loan spell. 

Giroud may have excelled in Europe, helping Chelsea to win the Europa League, but there are question marks over both Batshuayi and Abraham's quality in the top flight. 

There's also the question of whether Atletico could even afford Morata, given they are widely expected to be spending £112m on Joao Felix. 

It's been strongly rumoured that Antoine Griezmann will be leaving the club this summer, with Barcelona his preferred destination, so perhaps any deal for him could help fund a permanent move for Morata, who revived his form in La Liga. 

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