'Madrid will always be Madrid' - Chelsea's Alvaro Morata hints at future Real return

Jamie Teather11 February 2018

Alvaro Morata says he will never rule out a potential return to Real Madrid as the Spanish forward struggles to make a comeback from injury for Chelsea.

The Spain international signed for Chelsea from Real Madrid for a club-record fee of £58milion in the summer as Antonio Conte planned for life without Diego Costa.

The 25-year-old hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge by scoring six goals in his first six Premier League goals, including a hat-trick in a 4-0 win at Stoke.

But the striker has struggled with form and fitness as the season has gone on, having missed the last three games and not having failed to find the net in the three previous League games prior to that.

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Morata held an interview with ASTV as he continues to work on his fitness, and Madrid-born forward would always consider a move back to his hometown in the future.

"Obviously I have to respect Chelsea, who made a huge effort to sign me and I’m very happy here but Madrid will always be Madrid for me," he said.

Morata's latest injury has been a back problem that club doctors are struggling to get to the bottom of, with coach Conte saying this week that he does not know whether the forward will be absent for a day or until the rest of the season.

"Players like Morata, for us, are very important and have been missing for a long period of time," Conte said on Friday. "I don't know how long he will be out.

"We are struggling a lot to find a solution to solve the pain in his back. If you ask me whether he needs a day, a month or the rest of the season, I don't know.

"I don't know. For this reason, I'm a bit worried. You know very well the importance of the player."​

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