Chelsea deal Arsenal a cruel transfer blow in race for Real Madrid star

Chelsea will beat Arsenal for Alvaro Morata

It’s not a good sign for Arsenal that Chelsea have already beaten them out for one of their largest summer transfer targets. The window doesn’t open for several months, but the Blues have already buried the Gunners’ hopes of signing Alvaro Morata away from Real Madrid.

In some ways, Morata was always going to choose Chelsea over Arsenal. The Blues are likely going to finish the season as Premier League champions and Antonio Conte has already managed the striker in the past. It’s only natural for the Spanish forward to choose the more successful team that’s managed by a man he trusts.

Still, Arsenal have to be fuming that Morata is telling friends he’ll snub them in favor of the Blues. Arsene Wenger and company would have liked to at least get in front of Morata and his representatives to make their pitch. The Gunners also have title aspirations and Wenger is the type of manager who could work well with a player like Morata.

You have to wonder whether or not the uncertainty swirling around the North London club played a large part in Morata’s decision-making. The Gunners could lose both Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez this summer. Both stars are locked in tense contract negotiations with the club. If they depart, Arsenal may not have enough talent left in the squad to satisfy Morata’s standards.