Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Spain international striker Alvaro Morata on a five-year deal from Real Madrid.
The 24-year-old has moved to Stamford Bridge for an undisclosed fee with reports wildly varying in the region of between €65m and €85m.
Last season the Spain international netted 20 goals in all competitions for Madrid, including 15 La Liga goals despite being handed just 14 starts.
The deal ensures Morata is now the most expensive Spaniard of all time, surpassing the deal which took Fernando Torres from Chelsea to Liverpool in January 2011.
"Today my second spell at Real Madrid finishes, today a new phase of my career begins,” Morata wrote in an open letter.
“I'm sure that some will not understand my decision, others will certainly not support it… but in the end that's what it is, my decision. A decision well thought through and considered.
"I'm leaving home, because that's how I feel at Real Madrid. I'm going with the clear conscience of someone who gave everything in every training session, in every minute in which I was lucky enough to wear the shirt, with the calm of having been important in an amazing year in which we lifted four trophies, a year that I'm sure neither you nor I will ever forget…"
"I only have words of thanks for Real Madrid. I'm the player that I am now thanks to this club. I want to make the most of these lines of my farewell, which cannot be done in any other way, in order to say thank you: thank you to the president for having understood my vision, for understanding that I've made a decision and for respecting it.
"Thank you also to the coaching staff for everything they have helped me and supported me with, I am a better player than a year ago and it's thanks to them. Thank you also to my teammates, with whom I shared an amazing season. Thank you to each and every one of the employees of the club who worked hard every day to make life easier for the players.
"And thank you, of course, to the fans, because since my return you have made me feel loved and valued, because you've always been there, from my presentation until the last night at Cibeles… Lastly, and most importantly, thank you to my wife, thank you to my family, to my agent and my friends, who are always there and never let you down."
Image via @ChelseaFC
