‘Tomorrow I will be at Chelsea’ — Premier League champions will be the latest club to smash a transfer record with the signing of Morata

Álvaro Morata.Juan Manuel Serrano Arce / Getty Images

Chelsea has reportedly agreed a £58 million fee with Real Madrid for Spanish striker Álvaro Morata.

The deal, which is expected to be finalised on Thursday, smashes Chelsea’s previous transfer record by £8 million. In 2011, Chelsea paid Liverpool £50 million for Fernando Torres.

Morata told Spanish publication MARCA on Wednesday evening that “God willing” he would be at Chelsea on Thursday.

Chelsea had previously wanted Romelu Lukaku, who joined Manchester United in a £75 million transfer from Everton earlier this month. However, Morata insists that Chelsea is “a club that always admired me.”

He told MARCA: “I do not think I’m going back to Madrid… it’s been a fairly strange summer and until I pass the medical examination, I’m not going to be calm.”

Diego Costa.Forza Atleti screenshot

Morata will replace his compatriot Diego Costa, a player who was “told by message” that he was not needed at Chelsea next season. Costa has since filmed himself partying in an Atletico Madrid shirt, prompting further speculation that he could join the La Liga side.

Morata will be Chelsea’s third major signing of the summer having already acquired Germany defender Antonio Rüdiger (£29 million) and France midfielder Tiemoué Bakayoko (£40 million). With Morata, the club’s total expenditure in the current transfer window will be taken to the £127 million mark.