Manchester United have suffered a major blow in their pursuit of Alvaro Morata after the Spanish striker admitted he would be ‘crazy to leave Real Madrid’ this summer.
Morata has struggled to secure a regular first-team place at Madrid since rejoining the European and Spanish champions from Juventus in 2016.
The 24-year-old has been linked with a move away from the Bernabeu and United are thought to have already had a £52million bid rejected by the Spanish giants.
Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho handed Morata his debut at the age of 18 during his spell in charge of Los Blancos but the Spain international has ruled out a reunion at Old Trafford.
‘I want to be playing and to be important to the squad, particularly next year when there is the World Cup,’ said Morata.
‘But I want to fight for my place here, I would be crazy to leave Real Madrid.’
Morata, however, is not interested in returning to Italy with Milan.
‘It’s hard to imagine going back to Italy, despite my experience in Serie A being extraordinary,’ he said.
‘I would like to stay at Real Madrid, and the only club for me in Italy are Juventus.’
