Florentino Perez Denies Manchester United Have Reached Alvaro Morata Agreement

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has stated reports that the club have reached an agreement with Manchester United for the sale of forward Alvaro Morata are "not true." 

The Spain international has been linked with a move to Old Trafford after a season on the fringes of the first team at the Santiago Bernabeu. When asked about the potential switch, Perez was adamant nothing was done yet, although he was coy about whether something may happen further down the line.

"I don't think we're in negotiations with Manchester United, which is not to say that there are people around him who are talking, which is normal," he told esRadio's El Primer Palo (h/t Ewan Roberts of Metro). "I have read that we have reached an agreement, I do not know how many million times, but it is not true."

It has been reported by James Ducker of the Daily Telegraph that Morata has taken a break from his honeymoon as he seeks to accelerate a move to Old Trafford.

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According to Ducker, the two clubs remain a fair way apart in terms of their valuation of the 24-year-old, with Madrid rejecting an offer of £65 million for a player they believe to be worth £75 million. 

James Robson of the Manchester Evening News outlined why Red Devils manager Jose Mourinho is looking to sign Morata in the upcoming window:

United need to strengthen at centre-forward, especially after Zlatan Ibrahimovic was released by the club.

With the talismanic Swede no longer there to call upon, Mourinho's best option in the position is Marcus Rashford. Wayne Rooney's future and effectiveness, meanwhile, both remain in doubt, while Anthony Martial hasn't totally convinced through the middle.

Morata seems like the right type of stylistic fit for the United manager. As we can see, he's developed into something of a lucky charm for Madrid down the years:

While the Spaniard only played 1,334 minutes in La Liga last season, he was able to score 15 goals and grab four assists. As noted by OptaJose, it's a strike rate that was bettered only by Lionel Messi in 2016-17.

During his time at Juventus, Morata developed his all-round game, showcasing tremendous intelligence in his movement, creating space for others and improving his work rate. After re-signing for Madrid last summer, he added the goalscoring gloss to his play.

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He's the type of forward Mourinho has typically chased in his managerial career; powerful, industrious and, crucially, prolific.

Morata is still young. Moving to United to work alongside Mourinho would offer him some overdue stability in his career and the minutes needed to get even better.