Barcelona are reportedly set to face disappointment in pursuit of 29-year-old Spanish international Alvaro Morata, with Atletico Madrid unwilling to do business with them.
According to reputed Spanish journalist Gerard Romero, Barcelona’s bid to sign Alvaro Morata on loan from Atletico Madrid in the January transfer window has been dealt a major setback. The reigning La Liga champions do not wish to conduct business with the Blaugrana, as they do not want to strengthen a rival.
Morata currently plies his trade at Juventus, having rejoined the Bianconeri on a two-year loan deal from Atletico Madrid in September 2020. However, the transfer has not panned out as envisioned for either the club or the player, who has struggled to perform consistently.
The 29-year-old has managed only seven goals and three assists in 23 appearances across all competitions in the ongoing campaign. As a result, reports have claimed that Juventus will not take up their option to sign Morata permanently, with the Spanish international poised to return to Atletico Madrid in the summer. However, his next destination could well be Barcelona.
The Catalan giants have already opened talks with Morata’s representatives over a possible loan move in the January transfer window. The interest from Barcelona is understandable, considering they have struggled for goals in the first half of the 2021/22 season.
Sergio Aguero’s premature retirement has compounded Barcelona’s woes further, especially with neither Martin Braithwaite nor Luuk de Jong being viable options to lead the line regularly. Such a situation has created the need for Barcelona to sign a striker in January.
However, after spending a considerable sum on securing the services of Ferran Torres, Barcelona cannot afford to pay a transfer fee to land a striker. To that end, a loan move for Morata has popped up as a possibility. However, the Blaugrana’s bid to sign the 29-year-old Spanish international has been dealt a blow, as Atletico Madrid will unlikely conduct business with them.
The Colchoneros’ manager Diego Simeone has already asked the club to not engage in negotiations with Barcelona, as he does not want to strengthen a direct rival. So, Atletico Madrid will likely reject Barcelona’s approach for a loan move, and it remains to be seen who they set their sights on now.
