Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has suggested that Alvaro Morata rejected the club two years ago because he did not want to compete with Harry Kane.
The Spain international will be playing against Spurs this season after he completed a £60m switch to Chelsea earlier this summer.
Pochettino has revealed that he tried to sign the forward from Real Madrid in 2015, but the player thought that he would struggle to be selected ahead of Kane.
"Morata talked about myself, in the media he said 'Mauricio called me'. That was two years ago or more," The Independent quotes the manager as saying.
"He said to me: 'Why do you want me if you have Harry Kane? You know, if you go to try to sign a striker, they will say: 'eh gaffer, you want me for what? To be on the bench? I can't compete with Harry Kane or Hugo Lloris or different players.'
"It's so difficult to convince good players to come and then be on the bench. Then the problems start."
Kane has been in fine form in recent seasons, winning the Golden Boot in successive years after scoring 25 and 29 Premier League goals in the last two campaigns.
Danielle Joynson
