Alvaro Morata keen on joining Barcelona

Alvaro Morata is reportedly determined to join Barcelona in the summer transfer window after failing to secure a January move to Camp Nou.

According to a report by Spanish publication SPORT, the ball is in Barcelona’s court in the pursuit of Alvaro Morata. The 29-year-old Spanish international is keen on joining the Blaugrana in the summer transfer window but is open to completing a permanent transfer to Juventus if the Catalan giants do not sign him.

Alvaro Morata has been quite a journeyman in his near decade-long senior-level club football career. The Spaniard broke into the first-team setup at Real Madrid before joining Juventus in 2014. After a two-year stint with the Bianconeri, he returned to Real Madrid but failed to earn a regular starting berth at the Santiago Bernabeu.

A move to Chelsea did not work either, and the 29-year-old subsequently joined Atletico Madrid in January 2019. But the Spanish international only enjoyed mild success at the Wanda Metropolitano before returning to Juventus on a two-year loan deal in September 2020.

Morata has continued blowing hot and cold at Juventus, managing just eight goals and six assists in 33 appearances across all competitions this season. The player’s stock will have fallen further following Dusan Vlahovic’s arrival in the January transfer window, although he has performed admirably this month. But Morata is eager to join Barcelona in the summer transfer window.

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Barcelona had been keen on signing Morata in the January transfer window, with talks reaching an advanced stage at one point. But a move did not materialise in the end, with the Catalans bringing in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on a free transfer following the termination of the Gabonese striker’s Arsenal contract.

But Aubameyang will only be a short-term solution for Barcelona, while Luuk de Jong and Martin Braithwaite will likely depart Camp Nou in the summer transfer window. The Blaugrana will thus need to enter the market for a striker ahead of the 2022/23 season, with Morata reportedly offered to them.

While the 29-year-old Spanish international is keen on joining Barcelona, a summer move is unlikely to come to fruition, as Erling Haaland is Barcelona’s key target. Morata is open to completing a permanent transfer to Juventus, but the Serie A giants want the value of the purchase clause to be lowered to sign him. As for the chance of joining Barcelona, the ball is in the Blaugrana’s court.