Arsenal are reportedly monitoring the situation of Alvaro Morata at Juventus ahead of a possible summer swoop.
The Spanish international, 29, returned to Juventus on a two-year loan deal from Atletico Madrid in September 2020. However, he plans to leave Turin this summer after the club signed Dusan Vlahovic from Fiorentina in the January transfer window.
According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, Arsenal are one of the latest clubs to show interest in signing Alvaro Morata. The Spanish striker has the option of making his loan move permanent at Juventus, joining Xavi’s Barcelona, or returning to the Premier League, the report adds.
Morata endured a difficult previous spell with Chelsea, where he netted 24 times in 72 games across two seasons. He has continued blowing hot and cold with Juventus and the striker’s stock has plummeted further following Dusan Vlahovic’s arrival last month.
With the 29-year-old open to leaving the Turin giants at the end of the season, Arsenal will face a battle against Barcelona for his signature.
Alvaro Morata to Arsenal – A good option for Mikel Arteta?
Arsenal are lacking quality in their squad to go toe-to-toe with clubs like Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United. Mikel Arteta has done admirably well with a relatively young squad, but for the Gunners to reach the next level, they must heavily invest again in the summer’s transfer window.
Having allowed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to leave the club for Barcelona on a free transfer in the January transfer window, Arteta is facing the prospect of losing two more strikers in Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah at the end of the season. Both Lacazette and Nketiah’s contracts will be up in June.
With that in mind, Arsenal must prioritise signing a striker when the transfer window reopens. Alvaro Morata, in that regard, appears to be a viable target for the north London giants.
Morata may not have had much success in his previous Premier League experience with Chelsea, where he struggled to cope with the pace and physicality of English football. However, the Spaniard has matured in the last few years and added a few things to his game that were previously missing.
Technically solid and tactically sound, the 29-year-old would fit nicely into this Arsenal side. Morata likes to drop deep, link-up play between the lines and create space for his fellow attackers to exploit. The ex-Real Madrid man has never been hugely prolific in his career, but he certainly would bring more than goals to the Gunners side.
At 29, the Spanish international, who has a superb CV that includes league titles in Spain and Italy, still has plenty left to offer at the highest level. All in all, Morata would be a smart short-term signing for Arteta’s Arsenal.