Barcelona are reluctant to give up on their pursuit of Juventus striker Alvaro Morata despite a failed attempt to lure him back to Spain in January. According to TuttoJuve, the Catalan heavyweights are ready to open talks with the player’s parent club Atletico Madrid if the Italians’ bid to sign him permanently comes a cropper.
Morata joined Juventus on a season-long loan in 2020, but the Bianconeri extended his temporary move to another year last summer. The Serie A giants have an option to purchase the 29-year-old for around €45m at the end of the season.
Despite his patchy form at the Allianz Stadium, Morata has earned Massimiliano Allegri’s trust this season. The Spaniard has clocked up 40 appearances across all competitions in 2021/22, tallying 11 goals and seven assists.
Juventus brought Dusan Vlahovic from Fiorentina this winter to relieve Morata of the scoring burden, allowing the ex-Real Madrid star to play out wide. It seems that Allegri’s decision to switch the Spain international to the flank has paid dividends, given the player’s ability to dribble past oppositions and create chances for his teammates.
However, it remains uncertain whether Juventus would decide to trigger Morata’s buy-out clause in the summer. Barcelona are waiting in the wings as they look to reinforce their star-studded squad in the upcoming transfer window.
Barca completed a couple of massive deals in the winter transfer window. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ferran Torres moved to Camp Nou from Arsenal and Manchester City, respectively, while Adama Traore joined on a short-term loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
In addition to the abovementioned trio, Xavi boasts the likes of Ousmane Dembele and Memphis Depay in Barca’s fearsome attacking department. But the former could depart La Liga in the summer unless Barcelona persuade him to put pen to paper on a new deal.
Dembele’s potential exit would open a slot in the offensive line-up for Morata. However, given Barcelona’s well-documented financial woes, this should be taken with a grain of salt.