Chelsea Transfer News: Latest on Alvaro Morata and Nacho Rumours

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich personally scouted Alvaro Morata in Spain's clash with Croatia on Tuesday, it has been reported.

According to the Telegraph's Jason Burt, Abramovich "attended Spain’s Euro 2016 clash in Bordeaux on Tuesday evening to run the rule over" the striker, whose £23.6 million buy-back clause was activated by Real Madrid earlier in the day.

The Blues "have already opened talks" with Los Blancos, who are believed to be preparing to sell him on at a "substantial profit" and could cost Chelsea £40 million.

Morata has had two outstanding years in Turin, per Opta Paolo:

Here are some of the highlights from his most recent campaign with the Bianconeri:

While not hugely prolific just yet, the Spaniard is a scorer of important goals—he bagged the winner in the Coppa Italia final this season and netted five times in the knockout stages of the 2014-15 UEFA Champions League, including a goal in the final.

As his assist record indicates, he also offers more than just goals in the final third—as well as creativity, the 23-year-old provides pace and impressive dribbling skills to boot.

BeIN Sports' Tancredi Palmeri believes his time in Serie A has also improved his knowledge of the game:

Though the Premier League may be more intense and slightly less tactical than the Italian top flight, such awareness will prove useful wherever he plays.

His impressive development is already bearing fruit on the international stage—the Spaniard has thus far been one of the most eye-catching players at the European Championship, per Bleacher Report UK:

Chelsea are in need of another striker, either to partner Diego Costa or provide a strong alternative to him—something they currently lack.

Morata has an incredibly bright future ahead of him. If that future lies at Stamford Bridge, the Blues will reap the rewards from his capture.

Alberto Saiz/Associated Press

Chelsea might also be looking to Real Madrid for defensive reinforcements, too. According to Alvaro de la Rosa of Spanish outlet AS (h/t Metro's Mark Brus), the Blues are interested in signing Nacho Fernandez, who is also attracting attention from Roma and Villarreal.

The defender reportedly "seems keen to leave the Bernabeu, having already held talks with the club over his future."

As the club noted on Twitter, the 26-year-old enjoyed an unprecedented level of game time this year:

However, that consisted of 1,601 minutes across just 22 appearances, so it wouldn't be overly surprising if he were to move on.

Nacho did impress when he got on the pitch, though. According to Squawka, in his 16 La Liga appearances, he won 17 tackles and 23 headed duels, as well as making 36 interceptions and 44 clearances.

He could make a useful signing for Chelsea, who could use some cover at the back after Kurt Zouma's injury will see him miss the start of next season.