Alvaro Morata’s family convinced him to reject Saudi Arabia in favour of Atletico Madrid stay | OneFootball

On Tuesday, Alvaro Morata himself confirmed that he would be staying at Atletico Madrid this summer – that came less than 24 hours after a move to Saudi Arabia looked incredibly likely. The 31-year-old had been begged to remain at the club by manager Diego Simeone, although the Argentine was not the defining influence.

As reported by Matteo Moretto and Relevo, it was Morata’s family that convinced him to stay at Atleti for at least one more season.

“Morata gave the green light to Saudi Arabia, but his family has weighed more. The Arab team has been negotiating with his  entourage for weeks. I repeat, Morata gave the green light to negotiate and to try to reach a possible agreement. Then, they changed roles, but Alvaro’s head changed radically and he thought it through.”

With Morata staying, it’s now unclear whether Atletico Madrid will target a new striker this summer, especially if Samu Omorodion were to stay in Simeone’s squad for the 2024-25 campaign.