Arsenal have been heavily linked with a move for Alvaro Morata, especially in the wake of Real Madrid triggering the buy-back clause in his Juventus contract. With the Los Blancos allegedly willing to listen to offers for him, the Arsenal supporters believed the London club stood a real chance of bringing him down to Emirates Stadium this summer.

The fact that fellow competitors in Chelsea will not play Champions League football seemingly made the Gunners clear favourites for his signature, but a recent development means Arsenal may end up signing anyone but Morata this summer.

According to Spanish news outlet Marca, his club have turned down a £51.2 million offer from Chelsea today. The report suggests that Florentino Perez is holding out for at least £64 million for him. A valuation that the Roman Abramovich-funded Chelsea cannot match is unlikely to be matched by a shrewd spender in Arsene Wenger.

The British media reported a few days ago that the Arsenal manager would proceed to look elsewhere for a striker in the event of Real not lowering the asking price. If the reports were to be true, Wenger’s lowered price shall likely be lower than Chelsea’s offer as he may choose to sign a cheaper alternative in Alexandre Lacazette for a fee in the region of £34 million.

Romelu Lukaku is already out of the picture, with Everton slapping a whopping £60 million price tag on him. Lacazette seems the only option left for Arsenal to pursue; however, as Wenger has often made signings that the club were not linked with before their arrivals, Arsenal may even proceed to bring down an Islam Slimani or an Arkadiusz Milik.