Alvaro Morata's desired move out of Chelsea and to Atletico Madrid hangs in the balance due to the Spanish club's current refusal to buy the player outright or commit to buying the striker in the summer.

Atletico opened talks with Chelsea this week over the possible signing of Morata but Atletico are, at this point, minded only to take the player on a short-term loan until the end of the season.

Chelsea, who still face a major battle to keep forward Callum Hudson-Odoi at the club and are struggling to recruit a striker of their own this month, want a clearer financial commitment from Atletico.

Atletico Madrid have refused to buy Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata outright

Chelsea still face a major battle to keep Callum Hudson-Odoi at the club

Chelsea signed Morata for £58m in the summer of 2017 and he has scored nine goals this season but manager Maurizio Sarri has lost confidence in the forward due to his inconsistent form.

Morata scored twice in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest at the beginning of January but has since been left out of games at Tottenham in the Carabao Cup and at home to Newcastle in the Premier League.

Chelsea are also attempting a loan move for AC Milan forward Gonzalo Higuain.

Yet even to secure the loan move and cover Morata's salary, Atletico need to move out two players - Gelson Martins and Nikola Kalinic - to make a deal happen.

As things stand, Atletico, who are also well-stocked up front with players such as Antoine Griezmann and Diego Costa, are not prepared to spend major cash on a permanent transfer or make a commitment to a signing in the summer.