Manchester United are close to completing a move for Real Madrid forward Alvaro Morata, according to sources close to the player.
The Manchester Evening News believes United are not the only club interested in signing the prolific forward, but his relationship with Jose Mourinho has put them in pole position to clinch his signature.
The United boss handed Morata his first-team debut at the Bernabeu back in 2010 and made him his number one transfer target after Zlatan Ibrahimovic tore his cruciate back in April.
United made an approach for Morata last month, but it was still ‘early days’ ahead of Madrid’s bid to become the first side to retain the Champions League.
Morata, who has two Champions League winner’s medals, was keen to discover whether United would return to Europe’s premier competition after a one-year absence.
It is understood that no ‘significant’ move had been made until the first week of June, after Madrid’s 4-1 win against Juventus, but negotiations have rapidly progressed since then.
The chance to become the main man at United, ahead of next summer’s World Cup, appeals to Morata after struggling for a regular run of starts at Madrid and Juventus.
The boyhood Madrid fan only re-joined Los Blancos on a five-year deal last summer, but he made just 19 starts as Zinedine Zidane’s side swept the boards.
Fresh from his first 20-goal season, Morata now looks set to become the most expensive Spanish footballer of all-time – six years after Fernando Torres’ £50m move to Chelsea.
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