Chelsea Transfer News: Blues Make Alvaro Morata Bid, Moussa Dembele Rumours

Chelsea have offered Real Madrid £34 million for the services of Alvaro Morata, but Los Blancos will only consider a deal for an increased price, according to reports in Spain.

Spanish outlet Diario Gol (h/t James Walters of the Daily Star) reported the Blues are after the former Juventus hitman, but Real President Florentino Perez "will not do business for anything under £42.6 million." Morata is said to be unhappy with his role after rejoining the Galacticos from the Italian champions, often used as a substitute.

Real manager Zinedine Zidane was recently asked about the Spain international's future in the capital after he scored a dramatic winner against Villarreal in La Liga, and the Frenchman appeared frustrated by the questioning, per ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan:

The 24-year-old has long been one of Europe's hottest burgeoning talents, and he has continued to find the net on his return to Spanish football.

Morata has scored 10 goals in eights starts in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League, with a further 14 appearances coming from the bench this term, according to WhoScored.com.

In other news, former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has said recent Blues target Moussa Dembele is good enough to become one of the leading strikers in English football if he departs Scottish champions Celtic.

According to Simon Rice of Metro, manager Antonio Conte is considering a £40 million swoop for the prolific youngster, and Hasselbaink believes it would be money well spent.

Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

"He will have to move [to be considered a world class player]," said Hasselbaink. "I think he is a bracket below [Romelu] Lukaku and Harry Kane at the moment, but he has the potential. I know him very well from when he was at Fulham."

The France under-21 international has been a raging success since leaving London, scoring 29 goals in 42 appearances for the Glasgow giants, according to Rice.

Hasselbaink added, per Rice:

"

I think his agents have done a shrewd job to send him to Celtic to let him play week in week out.

To be in a big arena, to have the pressure to win every match. But also for him to get games and to score and to feel that net over and over again – to get in that habit.

"

Here is the Frenchman in action:

Conte has few options in the striker's position, and the links with Morata and Dembele are both predictable.

Both talents have the ability to grow if they land at Stamford Bridge, and neither will command a fee which is outside of the Blues' huge budget.

Morata is a superstar-in-waiting, but the addition of Dembele would provide the current Premier League leaders with much-needed pace at the point of the attack.

Chelsea have plenty of movement through midfield but lack a striker who can sprint off the shoulder of a centre-back with conviction.