Chelsea Transfer News: Real Madrid Rumoured to Be Chasing Alvaro Morata Reunion

Real Madrid are reportedly hoping to re-sign Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata for a second time if they fail in their efforts to recruit Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich. 

It would be the third time Real have signed Morata if they did complete a deal, with the club considering alternatives to Lewandowski, who is said to have agreed terms with Los Blancos, per Neil Fissler of the Daily Express.

Morata, 25, has been out of form at Stamford Bridge since the beginning of this year and, after a promising start to life in west London, only scored his first goal of 2018 in the recent 2-1 FA Cup win over Leicester City.

It's been speculated the Spaniard's relationship with Chelsea boss Antonio Conte leaves something to be desired, although the Italian was full of praise for his frontman after netting against the Foxes, via Goal:

Olivier Giroud was signed from Arsenal during the winter transfer window to offer Morata competition, while Karim Benzema has been fort of rivals for the starting striker berth at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

The Frenchman has 11 assists in all competitions this season but only eight goals to his name, and WhoScored.com recently helped illustrate the inefficiency he's demonstrated in recent times:

Morata's Real record stands at 31 goals in 95 appearances for the club, although that record becomes a lot more impressive when taking into account only 32 of those matches were as part of the starting XI.

Nevertheless, that was then and this is now, and La Liga writer Simon Harrison suggested Morata's form this term has not indicated he deserves to be a part of Spain's setup for the upcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup:

Morata had 10 Premier League goals by Boxing Day this term and showed signs he'd be an apt replacement for Diego Costa in attack, but his numbers have dropped significantly, and his league scoring drought has lasted more then three months.

It's that lack of production that led Conte to drop the former Real deputy in place of Giroud for a recent UEFA Champions League meeting with Barcelona, via BT Sport:

Benzema, 30, continues to demonstrate quality at the top level, but Real's reported pursuit of Lewandowski suggests patience is wearing thin with the veteran, who only netted 19 times in 48 games for the club last season.

There's a stark drop-off in pedigree between Bayern ace Lewandowski—scorer of at least 25 goals for the past seven seasons—and struggling Morata, but Real's familiarity with the latter could lead them back to Chelsea's door.