Manchester United’s pursuit of Alvaro Morata may not be straightforward as first mentioned with Real Madrid likely to prolong discussions due to their strained relationship with the Old Trafford club.
The Mancunian giants visibly angered the Los Blancos hierarchy in the summer of 2015 after they delayed in presenting the necessary paperwork which would have seen David de Gea make his switch on transfer deadline day.
De Gea has since extended his contract with the Europa League holders until 2019 with the option of a further year, should he impress during the period.
Real Madrid have returned with a tentative enquiry for De Gea in the current transfer window, but it is understood United are reluctant to listen to any offers, which has broken their relationship further.
According to The Guardian, United will make a final take-or-leave offer of around £60m for Alvaro Morata after the European champions snubbed their initial £52.4m approach for his signature.
The former Juventus striker has already agreed to personal terms with United with the help of his representative Juanma Lopez, but the transfer fee has yet to be resolved between the clubs.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic bagged 28 goals across all competitions for United last term, but he was nevertheless released yesterday with Mourinho not keen on holding onto the 35-year-old, who is on a long recovery path from a double knee injury.
At present, Marcus Rashford looks the only reliable option in the frontline for United with Anthony Martial enduring a stop-start season under Mourinho, where he was often found on the flanks.
Morata has openly invited a fresh challenge away from the Bernabeu as he knows that this could significantly improve his chances of earning a starting berth for Spain during the World Cup finals in Russia next year.
Mourinho was in charge of Real Madrid when Morata first made his La Liga debut and the Spaniard is now keen on a reunion as he looks to enter the next stage of his professional career.
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