Alvaro Morata says he and his family have been forced to move because of safety concerns after a mayor revealed the footballer had bought a house in his town.

Morata, 31, joined AC Milan from Atletico Madrid in July.

Italian media reported that Morata chose to move to Corbetta – a town 17 miles west of Milan – to ensure privacy for his family.

The Spanish striker was furious when the mayor of Corbetta, Marco Ballarini, shared the news of Morata’s arrival on social media on Wednesday.

“Dear Mr Mayor, thank you for violating my privacy. Fortunately, I do not own any valuable property. My only treasure is my children, whose safety you have endangered,” Morata wrote on Instagram.

“I thought the municipality of Corbetta could guarantee me a certain level of privacy but instead I find myself having to move house immediately due to your inability to use social media and protect your citizens.”

Ballarini admitted in his post that he is a supporter of Inter Milan, arch-rivals of AC Milan, but added, external: “I welcome Alvaro Morata to our big family in Corbetta.”

On Thursday, Ballarini shared an image of the Inter Milan club badge on his Instagram story with the caption: “Ciao.”

Morata, who captained Spain as they won Euro 2024, has scored two goals in six appearances for Milan.