Soccer-Morata set to finalise loan move to Atletico in 24 hours - media

Spain striker Alvaro Morata is on the verge of completing a loan move to Atletico Madrid from Chelsea, reports in the Spanish media said on Saturday. Newspaper AS said Morata, 26, was travelling to the Spanish capital on Saturday to finalise an 18-month loan deal with Diego Simeone's side, who are second in La Liga, with a medical due on Sunday.

Morata passed through Atletico's youth academy before switching to neighbours Real Madrid, where he spent two separate spells as a professional, and had two seasons with Juventus before joining Chelsea in 2017 for a reported 80 million euros ($91.30 million). Despite a promising start to his career in the Premier League, with 10 goals in his first five months, Morata has had a disappointing last 12 months with the London club, starting fewer than half their league games under coach Maurizio Sarri. ($1 = 0.8763 euros) (Reporting by Richard Martin; editing by Clare Fallon)