Atletico Madrid striker Alvaro Morata admits a move to Inter Milan was close last year.

Atletico and Inter will meet next month in the Champions League round of 16.

On Inter, Morata recalled: "I have a very good relationship with the coach and also with the sports director. (Beppe) Marotta signed me for Juventus and we have always had a great relationship. Yes, it is true that they were close. Luckily I had quite a few options, but when I spoke with the coach and Gustavo, the best decision was to stay at Atlético.

"It was a face-to-face talk, in which we said many things, shared many opinions and I decided that it was best to continue. I have always admired him as a coach from the outside and it is a pleasure to work with him now inside. I've always said it. On other occasions when I hadn't felt that way, the best thing for me and also for the club was my departure to look for other things. But this summer everything was done for me to stay.

"It's not that I was missing something, they were sensations and things that he asked me about in a normal conversation. Hopefully one day we can win a title together and recreate that conversation."