Juventus Transfers: Barcelona interested in Alvaro Morata & could offer Memphis Depay in exchange
New Barcelona manager Xavi is keen on landing Juventus striker Alvaro Morata and La Blaugrana could offer the Bianconeri Memphis Depay in exchange to secure the deal.
Morata enjoyed an incredibly productive 2020/21 campaign in Turin as he registered 22 goal contributions in 32 Serie A appearances, but he’s struggled to fill the boots of the departed Cristiano Ronaldo so far this season. The Spaniard’s scored five league goals at the halfway mark, with his future at Juventus up in the air.
The Bianconeri will have to decide whether they want to buy the striker out permanently for €35m by the summer. Atletico Madrid have no interest in retaining Morata’s services.
Barcelona’s interest in Alvaro Morata
Contatto tra #Morata e il #Barça, con Xavi che apprezza lo spagnolo. Blaugrana disposti a parlare con la #Juventus di #Depay. Discorso - complessivo - non semplice in quanto è coinvolto l’#AtleticoMadrid, che detiene il cartellino del 9 bianconero 🔥@GoalItalia
— Romeo Agresti (@romeoagresti) December 30, 2021
Barcelona, meanwhile, are interested in Morata and according to reliable Goal Italia reporter Romeo Agresti, contact has been made between the Spanish giants and the Juventus forward.
La Blaugrana are in need of attacking reinforcements following the retirement of Sergio Aguero, and Xavi is said to be an admirer of the Spanish international.
In order to prise Morata away from Juventus, Barcelona could offer Dutch forward Depay as part of the deal. However, this exchange will be tricky to pull off considering Morata is still owned by Atletico. Thus, Juventus will likely have to buy the Spanish striker outright before negotiating with the Catalan giants.
Amid Barcelona’s woes, Depay has enjoyed a productive debut campaign up to this point. The Dutchman scored eight times in 15 La Liga appearances before missing the conclusion of 2021 with a hamstring injury.
However, if this complex deal was to go through, it would leave Juventus even more vulnerable in forward areas. While Depay’s quality is undisputed and his evolution into a multi-faceted number nine has been impressive, the Dutchman’s injury record is a cause for concern.
Overall, this deal does not solve Juve’s striker issue and a more suitable long-term option would still need to be pursued.