Zinedine Zidane has told Arsenal and Chelsea to forget about signing Alvaro Morata.
The 23-year-old Spanish striker returned to the Bernabeu earlier this summer after Real Madrid triggered a buy-back clause to resign him from Juventus.
During his two-year spell at Juventus, Morata managed to score 27 goals in 93 games for the Italian giants, and a further three for Spain whilst participating at Euro 2016 last month. His performances for both club and country in the previous season attracted the interest from a host of clubs, including Arsenal and Chelsea.
The Gunners have been heavily linked with Morata in recent weeks, with reports suggesting the club were ready to launch a big-money move for the Spaniard, and the need to sign a forward for Arsene Wenger this summer has grown, with the Frenchman keen to bolster his attack ahead of the upcoming season.
However, Zidane has rubbished reports claiming he is ready to get rid of Morata, insisting the player is not for sale and will play a key role for Real for the season ahead.
Following Real’s 3-2 pre-season win over Chelsea over the weekend, Zidane said:
‘Yes, Morata is a Real Madrid player.
‘We’re delighted to have him back, back to his original home.’
Although Zidane seems adamant that he will not put Morata up for sale, things can change very quickly in football. With that being said, however, it’s probably best that Wenger doesn’t waste too much of his time trying to land the Spaniard and focus his attention elsewhere.
