Barcelona have reached a “total” agreement with Juventus striker Alvaro Morata.
The first reports of the potential transfer manifested on Thursday morning and it appears that La Blaugrana are moving quickly to strike an agreement with the Bianconeri. New Barcelona boss Xavi is said to be an admirer of his compatriot Morata.
In exchange, Barça were willing to surrender summer arrival Memphis Depay but Juve are unconvinced by the Dutchman as an out and out number nine. His injury record is also a concern, and the former Lyon captain is currently nursing a hamstring injury.
Barcelona’s “total” agreement with Juventus’ Alvaro Morata
Il sì di #Morata al #Barça è totale: 18 mesi di contratto garantiti. La palla passa ora alla #Juve che, ovviamente, per liberare il centravanti spagnolo deve prima trovare un sostituto 🔥🇪🇸 @Goalitalia
— Romeo Agresti (@romeoagresti) December 31, 2021
Romeo Agresti, who was was first to report the rather stunning news on Thursday, understands that the agreement between Barcelona and Morata is “total”. La Blaugrana are willing to give the striker an 18-month contract and the club will now attempt to negotiate with Juventus, who won’t let Morata depart unless a replacement is identified beforehand.
The Bianconeri had a long list of reported striker targets even before Morata’s potential departure. The likes of Dusan Vlahovic and Gianluca Scamacca have been heavily linked with the club, but both deals will be incredibly tough to pull off in January.
Elsewhere, Mauro Icardi, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Arkadiusz Milik have also been linked, but nothing is close to being advanced at this stage. Juve will likely seek a stop-gap option for six months before reassessing in the summer.
Memphis Depay or Ousmane Dembele will not be included in any deal
Fabrizio Romano further emphasised on Friday morning that Barcelona duo Depay and Ousmane Dembele, who has refused to sign a new contract with the club, are not being discussed in negotiations for Morata.
So, for the moment, it’s unclear where Juventus’ pursuit for a Morata replacement will take them.
Barcelona, meanwhile, have been super proactive in mitigating against the loss of Sergio Aguero to premature retirement. The Catalans have already drafted in Ferran Torres from Manchester City and they now look set to add Morata to their ranks without sacrificing Depay.
The Xavi rebuild is well underway!