Spanish international Alvaro Morata is reportedly in advanced talks to end his loan stint with Juventus and join Barcelona.
According to reputed Italian journalist Rudy Galetti, Barcelona’s pursuit of Alvaro Morata seems to have reignited. The 29-year-old Spanish international is in advanced talks to join the Blaugrana, with Juventus closing in on securing the services of Dusan Vlahovic.
Alvaro Morata is currently in his second stint with Juventus, rejoining the Serie A club from Atletico Madrid in September 2020 on a two-year loan deal. But the transfer has not worked out as envisioned for either party, with their struggles intertwining in this period.
In the ongoing campaign, the 29-year-old has blown hot and cold, managing a tally of just eight goals and five assists in 29 appearances across all competitions. But despite his inconsistencies, the Spanish international remains a highly sought-after player in the transfer market, with Barcelona hot on his trail in the January transfer window.
The Catalan giants have been hard in search of a striker in the ongoing transfer window, with several centre-forwards emerging on their radar. Barcelona’s urgency to bolster their attack has cropped up due to Sergio Aguero’s forced call to hang up his boots after contracting a heart ailment that prevents him from returning to the field.
Aguero’s retirement has left Xavi Hernandez with Martin Braithwaite and Luuk de Jong as the only strikers at his disposal. With neither player being reliable enough to spearhead the Barcelona attack regularly, the Blaugrana must sign a centre-forward before the transfer deadline despite de Jong’s recent resurgence.
Morata has thus become Barcelona’s priority target for the ongoing window after initial links with other strikers like Edinson Cavani, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette. But for around ten days now, it seemed as if Barcelona’s pursuit of the 29-year-old Spanish international had run into troubled waters after Massimiliano Allegri asserted he would stay put at the Allianz Stadium until the end of the season.
A lot has changed in the last few days, though, with Juventus closing in on signing Dusan Vlahovic, whose preference for his next destination recently became clear. Vlahovic’s impending move to Juventus has paved the way for Barcelona’s pursuit of Morata to rekindle, with the Spaniard now in advanced talks with the Blaugrana.
With less than a week left for the January transfer window to shut down, Barcelona will need to accelerate the move for Morata. But for now, it looks like the 29-year-old Spanish international could yet join Barcelona if Juventus can complete Vlahovic’s signing.
