Chelsea Threaten to Cut Alvaro Morata's Loan Short as Atletico Madrid Stall Over £50m Option to Buy

Spain international striker Álvaro Morata could be recalled from his loan spell away from Chelsea ahead of the new season unless Atlético Madrid activate a £50m

Spain international striker Álvaro Morata could be recalled from his loan spell away from Chelsea ahead of the new season unless Atlético Madrid activate a £50m purchase option in his contract this summer.

The 26-year-old struggled to hit the ground running in his first season at Stamford Bridge, eventually being loaned out midway through Maurizio Sarri's tenure in an attempt to regain some confidence in front of goal.

Morata hasn't taken La Liga by storm since moving back to the Spanish capital, but it's understood that Atlético Madrid are weighing up the possibility of signing him permanently after scoring six league goals during the second half of the season.

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As Chelsea enter the first window of their transfer ban, however, The Telegraph claim that the club have sent Atlético an ultimatum to sign Morata permanently this summer or risk having the striker recalled ahead of the 2019/20 campaign.

Diego Simeone's side have an option to sign Morata permanently for £50m - on top of his £6m loan fee - but Los Colchoneros could be strapped for cash once their move for Benfica wonderkid João Félix gets over the line.

They've already spent £27m to sign Marcos Llorente from city rivals Real Madrid, while the South American trio Felipe (FC Porto), Renan Lodi (Athletico Paranaense) and Nicolás Ibáñez (Atlético de San Luis) have also been confirmed as new arrivals.

For Chelsea, they're not looking to turn Gonzalo Higuaín's loan move into a permanent one, but their attacking ranks are being bolstered by the return of Tammy Abraham and Michy Batshuayi.

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Alongside Olivier Giroud, that would still leave rumoured new manager Frank Lampard without a recognised starting striker, so the club could offer Morata a second chance in west London if they aren't able to sell him to Atlético Madrid this summer.