The reason Manchester United decided to pull out of a deal to sign Alvaro Morata was the fact that Real Madrid refused to budge from their €90 million (£79 million) valuation for the striker. However, Chelsea have managed to do some negotiation hoodoo on Real Madrid after agreeing a terrific deal with the Spanish club for the signing of Morata for a mere £58 million.
Admittedly that is only an initial fee, with the overall price expected to go up to £70 million, if all the add-ons are achieved.
Still, that is considerably lesser than what Manchester United were quoted, with Jose Mourinho also admitting that the reason the deal for Morata fell through was the fact that Real Madrid would not budge from their price.
Chelsea, of course, will not care as Antonio Conte has finally got a striker who can replace Diego Costa, with the latter expected to move to Atletico Madrid this summer, after the Blues manager had, via a text message, made it clear he isn't in the team's plans for the new season.
After United beat Chelsea to the signature of Lukaku, it was imperative for the reigning English Premier League champions to sign a quality striker, and in Morata they have certainly got that.
While the Spaniard, who is expected to sign a contract worth £150,000 a week, has never quite been a regular starter yet in his career, in stints with Juventus and Real Madrid he has certainly shown the capabilities to become the main forward for a club.
In a statement on their website, Chelsea confirmed a fee had been agreed with Real Madrid for the 24-year-old striker, who will fly down to London from Los Angeles for a medical, with The Guardian stating the price to be £58 million.
"Chelsea Football Club and Real Madrid have agreed terms for the transfer of Alvaro Morata to Stamford Bridge," the statement said.
"The move is now subject to him agreeing personal terms and passing a medical."
After a bit of a lull in the transfer proceedings, which led to reports suggesting Conte could even leave, Chelsea have finally got their groove on.
They have signed Antonio Rudiger from Roma, Tiemoue Bakayoko from Monaco and now Morata from Real Madrid, with Conte also signing a new contract, which makes him the highest paid manager at the club of all-time.
More transfer moves are expected from the Blues, with Conte, whose team are currently in Beijing for a pre-season tour of Asia, keen on bringing in a left wing-back. Alex Sandro is the preferred option, but Chelsea have, so far, struggled to agree a fee with the Italian champions Juventus.
