As long anticipated, Juventus have let their option to buy Alvaro Morata expire. The deadline to pick it up came and went in the last few days. As per the previous agreement, the Bianconeri would have had to pay €35M, for a total of €55M considering the fees for the two straight loan spells.
The Old Lady stayed in touch with Atletico Madrid to get a discount or find a new formula, but the talks have been unproductive, Goal reports. The Spaniard will head back to La Liga, perhaps to stay. The Colchoneros need another striker since they decided not to keep Luis Suarez. The 29-year-old has a year left on his contract with them.
Morata wished to return to Juventus, but their offers did not satisfy the counterparty. They had invested €53M to acquire him from Chelsea in 2020. The Bianconeri tendered €15/20M and proposed swaps with Moise Kean or Adrien Rabiot. The request for a new loan fell on deaf ears as well.
The center-forward wants to play either in Spain or in Turin for family-related reasons. He has drawn interest from the Premier League, as Arsenal and Newcastle United are eyeing him. Barcelona pursued him in January, and he intended to join before Massimiliano Allegri intervened.
Our Take on Juventus Not Buying Out Morata
The striker has been a key element in the last couple of seasons, and the partnership with Dusan Vlahovic is still largely unexplored. But, at those numbers, the investment would have indeed been too rich. The Bianconeri likely envisioned him as their starting left winger in a trident next season. They should be able to replace him properly for a lesser fee, maybe with Filip Kostic. And they will probably try again to bring him back later in the window.