Whilst Chelsea are still pursuing the player’s services, he is now expected to start against his Premier League admirers on Saturday
Two seasons with Juventus served as something of a graduation for Alvaro Morata and despite being heavily linked with a move away from the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, the 23-year-old now looks set to stay as part of Zinedine Zidane’s plan.
Fate would decree that Morata will line up against Antonio Conte, Chelsea’s new coach and the man that brought him to Turin in 2014 on Saturday.
The former Italian national team coach obviously remains an admirer as the West Londoners failed in a bid to sign Morata earlier in the window and remain on the lookout for a number nine.
Diego Costa currently holds the position and, with the exception of Paul Pogba, there are few players in Europe that have garnered more tabloid headlines this summer than Morata and the Chelsea striker.
Saturday will pit the two against each other and while Costa’s future remains a little uncertain, Real have made it clear that Morata is staying.
The Spanish international will compete with Karim Benzema for a place in Zidane’s preferred three-pronged attack alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale.
For the Chelsea game, Zidane’s options are far slimmer as Benzema is nursing a sore hip and Ronaldo and Bale are both still absent – so Morata will almost certainly start in an unfamiliar 4-4-2.
Who will partner him is less clear, with Jese still looking likely to leave the club and the other options coming from the Castilla in the form of Mariano or Marco Asensio.
With Luka Modric, Sergio Ramos and James Rodriguez all still out, Zidane will probably name a similar side to the one that suffered defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday but that doesn’t mean that the French coach won’t expect changes.
Disappointed by his side’s performance, he will expect a more aggressive approach and will make defensive adjustments after shipping three goals as a result of errors.
An improvement is demanded and while it may only be a pre-season there are plenty of players looking to impress.