Alvaro Morata to Arsenal: Real Madrid 'to activate buy-back clause' before selling Juventus striker to Gunners
Real have a deal with Juventus that allows them to buy back Morata this summer, but the Spanish club will look to sell him on in order to make a financial profit
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Your support makes all the difference.Real Madrid are said to be considering a move for Juventus striker Alvaro Morata in a bid to activate his buy-back clause, and Arsenal could be poised to benefit as a result.
The 23-year-old left Real in 2014 after failing to break into the first team, with Karim Benzema the preferred striker at the Santiago Bernabeu under former head coach Carlo Ancelotti, with Italian champions Juventus signing the Spaniard for €20m.
However, the agreement between the two clubs included a buy-back clause that Real could activate during a specific period of time, reported by AS to be between 1 and 15 of July in either 2016 or 2017 for an improved €30m (£23.6m).
Real fans want to see the home-grown product return to the club, but they may not get their wish as the Spanish newspaper goes on to state that Real will only seek to sign Morata in order to sell him again immediately for an inflated €50m.
It’s added that Arsenal have already expressed an interest in the Spain international, who has made six appearances for his country, as well as German champions Bayern Munich who he tormented during the recent Champions League last-16 tie in which Juventus took the Bundesliga leaders to extra-time before succumbing 4-2 on aggregate.
Arsenal are likely to be in the market for a striker in the summer given this season’s shortcomings, with neither Olivier Giroud nor Theo Walcott justifying Arsene Wenger’s faith in them that he publicly expressed at the start of the season. Such is their drop-off in form this season, Wenger has resorted to leaving both Giroud and Walcott out of his starting line-up, and has instead started England forward Danny Welbeck as a lone striker despite the former Manchester United star only returning from a 10-mnth injury lay-off last month.
Juventus are believed to be resigned to losing Morata in the summer and are already making contingency plans in the event of his exit, with Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani and Arsenal’s Giroud identified as possible replacements.
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