London: Alvaro Morata has agreed a deal to join Manchester United and is now waiting for the Old Trafford club to negotiate a fee with Real Madrid.
As revealed by Telegraph Sport in April, United have made Morata their top target to replace the injured Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is not likely to be offered a new contract, and are close to clinching his signature.
It is understood Morata has agreed in principle to the terms that will be offered to him at United and the transfer is now in the hands of the two clubs.
United have already seen a bid of £52.3 million (Dh244.6 million) rejected by Real, but are hoping a new offer of £60m will be enough.
Morata has told friends that he expects to be playing at Old Trafford next season and is looking forward to linking up with manager Jose Mourinho again.
He believes a move to United and guaranteed first-team football will enhance his prospects of starting for Spain at next year’s World Cup.
Mourinho had considered rivalling Chelsea’s move for Romelu Lukaku, but the Portuguese accepts the Belgian is likely to return to Stamford Bridge.
That has prompted United to step up their efforts to clinch the Morata signature as quickly as possible.
Morata’s agent Juanma Lopez confirmed his client needs to find a club where he will play for after starting only 14 La Liga games for Real.
“He doesn’t want to go through another season like that. It was a great season, but he wants to play more,” said Lopez. “Alvaro is a player who wants to play a more important role. He wants to play more. That’s normal for a striker who’s scored 19 goals. It’s not enough.”
Morata had been a target of AC Milan, but the 24-year-old said: “It’s hard to imagine going back to Italy, despite my experience in Serie A being extraordinary. The only club for me in Italy are Juventus.”
