Arsenal target Alvaro Morata pledges future to Real Madrid

Spanish under-21 international Alvaro Morata has ended any hopes Arsenal had of signing him by pledging his future to Real Madrid.

Persistent speculation had linked the 21-year-old with a transfer to Emirates Stadium, but Morata has told Spanish newspaper AS he will not be moving anywhere.

He said: “Despite all the stories that have emerged, I am happy here. I have spoken with the club and the coach and told them I want to stay here.”

Morata has only started only one league game this season, but scored in Madrid’s 5-0 win over Real Betis after replacing Karim Benzema. But he remains determined to play a role at Madrid even if that means not starting many games for the time being.

He said: “This is the team I have spent my entire life at and I will stay here and do whatever the club asks of me, even if it’s to play a minimal amount of games.