Juventus star Alvaro Morata keen on big-money Arsenal deal as agent holds talks with former club Real Madrid
JUVENTUS star Alvaro Morata is reportedly keen on joining Arsenal if he ends up re-signing for Real Madrid.
The striker is a summer target for Arsene Wenger after helping Juventus land their fifth successive Serie A title.
But Morata is wanted back at the Bernabeu after swapping Madrid for Turin in 2014, with Zinedine Zidane able to activate a £25million buyback clause this summer.
However, it's believed that Real only want to re-sign the 23-year-old in order to move him on for profit.
And newspaper AS claims that agent Juanma Lopez jetted into the Spanish capital on Monday in order to sort out Morata’s future with club chiefs before Euro 2016.
The player's preference is to stay at Juventus, who already have Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic and Simone Zaza on their books, but Real are keen to hand him over to Arsenal in a deal worth £46m.
And the report adds that Morata would jump at the chance to join the Gunners if he is forced to leave Italy, with the youngster a big fan of Premier League football.
Chelsea and Manchester United have also been linked with bids, but title runners-up Arsenal are in pole position to secure Morata’s signature.
SunSport understands that the north Londoners are ready to make the Spain international their highest-paid player with £155,000-a-week wages, although that could change if Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez decide to extend their Emirates futures.
And it appears that Morata is resigned to leaving Serie A for pastures new, with the striker posing for a photo with the caption ‘Adios Amigo’ at a restaurant frequented by Juventus players..
But the Italian champions are still hoping to negotiate a deal with Real which would allow Morata to remain in Turin this summer.
Boss Max Allegri told TV show Rai Uno Mattina: “He’s still only a young lad. Morata needs to stay on a few years more at Juventus because he needs time to grow.”