Man Utd challenged by Jose Mourinho for 216-goal striker who’s the ‘missing piece’ of Ratcliffe puzzle

Manchester United will have to hold off Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce and several other notable clubs to sign Alvaro Morata, who has surprisingly been described as the ‘key missing piece’ of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s puzzle at Old Trafford.

Morata has had an eventful career to say the least, having played for the likes of Real Madrid, Juventus, Chelsea and Atletico Madrid, and having joined some of those clubs on multiple occasions. The centre-forward has his doubters, certainly in the Premier League, but he has still amassed a record of 216 club career goals in 589 matches.

Morata has won major trophies such as the Serie A and La Liga titles, as well as two Champions Leagues with Real Madrid and the Europa League with Chelsea.

The 31-year-old is currently on Atleti’s books, having returned to their squad in June 2022 following a two-year loan spell with Juve.

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Morata is now captain of the Spain national team – surprisingly – and he got on the scoresheet during their 3-0 victory over Croatia, as Luis de la Fuente’s side finished top of Group B with a perfect winning record.

While Morata is hoping to lift the famous Euros trophy for Spain for the first time since 2012, there is plenty of speculation about his future.

Earlier this week, it was claimed that Man Utd have entered talks to make Morata their new No 9.

As per the latest reports in Spain, Man Utd remain in the picture to snap the Madrid-born star up. The Red Devils need an experienced striker to help Rasmus Hojlund out and the fact Morata has played at the highest level for pretty much his entire career means he fits the bill.

Man Utd latest: Alvaro Morata links refuse to go away

The reports describe Morata as the ‘key missing piece’ in the Man Utd jigsaw for Ratcliffe, and the attacker will not be expensive to sign, either.

His Atleti contract, which runs for another two years, includes a bargain release clause worth just €12m (£10m). That is a very small fee for a player who has cost teams over £160m throughout his crazy career.

But Man Utd are not alone in taking an interest in Morata. Mourinho, who worked with the UEFA Nations League winner at Madrid, is eager to sign him for Fenerbahce, in what would be a real coup for the Turkish club.

Elsewhere, Borussia Dortmund and Roma are also keeping tabs on Morata’s situation, while Juve are incredibly weighing up whether to sign him yet again.

While Morata is a goalscorer with experience playing in competitions such as the Champions League, Premier League, Euros and World Cup, some Man Utd fans may be disappointed if he arrives as their new striker this summer.

After all, he is heading into the final few years of his career and also put in a host of frustrating performances during his time at Chelsea.

Instead, it might be better for Ratcliffe to snare more of an up-and-coming striker who still has experience playing at the top level. Joshua Zirkzee fits into that category and Man Utd could sell four players in order to fund a double move for him and one of his Bologna team-mates.

READ MORE: Man Utd to fund thrilling Serie A double deal by axing £90m quartet