Chelsea hoping to turn head of Morata away from Manchester United

Chelsea are willing to offer £70m for Alvaro Morata in an attempt to beat Manchester United to the striker's signature, The Mirror reports.

Conte has held a long-standing interest in the Spain international, monitoring his progress on loan with former employers Juventus, and the Blues boss reportedly sees the Real Madrid man as the ideal replacement for Diego Costa.

Manchester United were thought to be close to agreeing a deal with Los Blancos but the interest of Chelsea may just turn Morata's head, particularly if Costa leaves as expected.

The 24-year-old has seemingly emerged as the top target for both Premier League clubs, who have each been mooted with an interest in Romelu Lukaku but appear to favour a move for the Spain international.

Morata started just 14 of 26 league appearances last season but scored a mightily impressive 15 goals regardless at a rate of one every 89 minutes, along with a further three strikers as Real Madrid became the first ever team to retain the Champions League.