Arsenal Dealt Heavy Blow as Real Madrid Rule out January Transfer for Striker - Report

Real Madrid have blocked all possible routes for a potential transfer of young striker Alvaro Morata on a six-month loan to Arsenal, according to the Marca.

Arsene Wenger had reportedly convinced the 21-year-old to make the trip to north London but the Spanish giants are planning to keep him at the Santiago Bernabeu to act as cover for Karim Benzema.

This will come as a major blow for the Gunners who had a £6.6m bid rejected for Brazilian striker Pato as they desperately look for a striker to cover for Olivier Giroud. The Frenchman has been left isolated up front, with the Gunners failing to land a striker last summer, which has forced them to play Giroud in all their important games so far.

Meanwhile, Wenger has revealed that he will rotate his players in every game to give them some much needed rest ahead of a hectic schedule in the premier league.

"I rotate considering the level of fatigue. We have some indications - my eyes, some objective data and as well some positions where it's more demanding on the physical front than others. We have so many games that in some positions I will have to change; the full-back position is one that is very demanding. Central defence is a little bit less demanding on the physical side, it's more on the concentration side," Wenger told www.arsenal.com

"When you play so many games of that intensity, we expect to lose one or two players. In every single game I [will rotate]. I try to limit the number because I do not want to disrupt the balance of the team, so I do that in every single game," he added.