Alvaro Morata is reportedly closing in on a move to Spanish second-tier club CD Leganes, in a switch to LaLiga2, just weeks after Como made his loan switch from AC Milan permanent, according to Marca.
The 33-year-old striker managed only one goal in 30 appearances on loan at Como last season and fell out with manager Cesc Fabregas, his former Chelsea team-mate. Como and Leganes are said to be finalising a deal after Morata requested the move.
Morata is a two-time Champions League winner, having lifted the trophy with Real Madrid in 2014 and again in 2017, and has played for some of the biggest clubs in Europe, including Real Madrid, Juventus, AC Milan, Chelsea and Atletico Madrid. He came through Real Madrid's academy before being sold to Juventus in 2014, where he won two Serie A titles, and returned to Real Madrid two years later. He is now poised to drop into Spain's second tier with Leganes, a club based in a southern suburb of Madrid that earned its nickname, the Cucumber Growers, from the area's historic cucumber farming industry, and plays at a 14,500-capacity stadium.
Fabregas Told Him to 'Play Another Sport'
Fabregas, who played alongside Morata at Chelsea before moving into management, took charge of Como in 2024 and led the club back into Serie A after years outside Italian football's top two divisions. Como, founded in 1907 on the shores of Lake Como in northern Italy, had spent much of the previous two decades in the lower leagues before their promotion. The Spaniard, who won the World Cup in 2010 and the European Championship in 2008 and 2012 during his playing career with Spain, has not been shy about criticising his former team-mate's discipline.
Morata was sent off after picking up two yellow cards in quick succession during a match against Fiorentina in February, following confrontations with Rolando Mandragora and then Marin Pongracic.
Fabregas said at the time: 'Provocation is part of football, those who can't live with that should play another sport. I expect much more from an experienced player like him.'
Leganes Rebuilding Under New Ownership
Morata would be a marquee addition for Leganes, who have made 11 signings this summer after the club changed hands to new owners. Leganes played in LaLiga as recently as the 2024-25 season and are targeting promotion back to the top flight this season, though they insist they are under no illusions after finishing 16th last time out.
Morata will hope the drop down a division helps him rediscover his scoring touch. He has scored 231 goals in 660 club appearances over his career and has 37 goals in 87 appearances for Spain.
Chelsea signed him from Real Madrid for a then-club-record £70.6million in 2017, a fee that made him one of the most expensive players in the club's history at the time. He lasted just 18 months at Stamford Bridge before being sent out on loan to Atletico Madrid, one of Spain's leading clubs, for two seasons, and later signed permanently for Juventus.
Reconciliation With Alice Campello
The proposed move comes weeks after Morata called off divorce plans for a second time with his wife, the Italian model Alice Campello, whom he married in 2017.
The couple split after Spain's Euro 2024 final win, following a falling out on the field, and announced in August 2024 that they were going their separate ways seven years after marrying. Spain's victory in Germany was the nation's record fourth European Championship title. They rekindled their relationship in January before splitting again, reportedly over difficulties in communication.
In January, Spanish magazine Hola reported that Morata had moved out of the family home he shares with Campello and their four children, twins Alessandro and Leonardo, Edoardo and Bella.
According to Spanish journalist Javi Hoyos, the pair have since decided to give their relationship another chance. They were photographed together at a concert by the Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny at the Metropolitano Stadium, Atletico Madrid's 70,000-seat home in the Spanish capital, at the weekend, in pictures shared by the Instagram account beatrizespejel. Reports suggest they have in fact been back together for some time.
Campello wrote on TikTok: 'I really enjoy seeing your kindness, your gentleness, and your ability to understand others. I'm sure you'll go even further, because when things are done with respect, affection, and courtesy, you always win. And thank you also for all the messages of support and love from those who are happy for us.'
