Arsenal transfer news: Alvaro Morata leaves Juventus as club confirm striker has rejoined Real Madrid

Morata has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League and is expected to be sold on by Real

Jack de Menezes

Wednesday 06 July 2016 11:10 BST

Alvaro Morata has left Juventus to return to Real Madrid (Getty)

Juventus have confirmed that striker Alvaro Morata has left to club to return to Real Madrid following the activation of a buy-back clause by the Champions League winners, two years after leaving the Spanish club.

23-year-old Morata’s future remain uncertain though, with Real expected to sell him on to another club in an effort to generate a handsome profit on the £23.6m they have paid Juventus. The Italian side, who won the Serie A in both of Morata’s seasons with the club, paid an initial £16m for the striker in 2014, while he also helped them to the 2014/15 Champions League final where they lost out to Barcelona.

A statement issued by the club on Wednesday morning read: “Juventus Football Club can today confirm that Alvaro Morata will return to Real Madrid after two seasons in Turin following the Spanish outfit’s decision to activate the forward’s buy-back clause.”

It added: “All associated with Juventus Football Club would like to wish Alvaro the very best of luck wherever his future may take him and thank him for two truly excellent years of service to the team.”

Morata’s return to Madrid will prick attentions in England, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United all interested in bringing the Spain international to the Premier League. Real are currently looking to generate as much as £57m [€66.7m], although the Gunners are not willing to spend that much on the forward.

United may also be reluctant to press on with interest in Morata if the asking price remains that high for a player who scored seven goals in Serie A last season, having completed the signing of Zlatan Ibrahimovic last week. The deal, despite being a free transfer, will still see United pay out £220,000-a-week in wages to the Swedish striker, and with new manager Jose Mourinho confirming that he intends to deploy captain Wayne Rooney as a forward, it leaves the Portuguese with a number of options that also include Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford.

Arsenal striker transfer targets

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1/10Arsenal striker transfer targets

Arsenal striker transfer targets

Alvaro Morata (Juventus)

Morata looks certain to leave Juventus, but his destination remains unknown. Real Madrid lead the pursuit for the Spain international given they can activate a €30m [£23.6m] release clause in his contract after 1 July, but Juventus will be keen to sell elsewhere given they can command a much bigger fee based on is valutation. Morata would represent a proven goalscorer that Arsenal have lacked in recent years, having fired Juventus to two Serie A title and last season’s Champions League final.

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Arsenal striker transfer targets

Edinson Cavani (PSG)

Cavani is ready to end his Paris Saint-Germain career and move on to pastures new, having grown unhappy at playing second fiddle to Zlatan Ibrahimovic – who himself is poised to leave the club this summer. Having played in both Serie A and Ligue 1, Cavani has admitted that he would like to play in the Premier League, and the Gunners have been linked with the Uruguay international in the past.

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Arsenal striker transfer targets

Gonzalo Higuain (Napoli)

Arsenal missed out on Higuain when he left Real Madrid in 2013, having had a bid accepted for the Argentine only to see Napoli storm in and snap up the striker. However, Higuain could be on his way out of Naples, with the club looking to freshen their squad up in a bid to go one better and build on this season’s likely second-place finish to challenge champions Juventus.

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Arsenal striker transfer targets

Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)

Benzema may be another who finds his time is up at his current club, with Real expected to make a major signing of their own in the summer to try and add to the threat of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. While his two cohorts take the headlines in Madrid, Benzema remains one of the most prolific finishers in European football, and the Gunners showed genuine interest in the France international last summer only to decide against meeting Real’s valuation.

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Arsenal striker transfer targets

Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool)

Sturridge’s future has grown uncertain since Jurgen Klopp arrived at Liverpool. The striker has reiterated his commitment to the club and helped them reach the Europa League final, but he has also shown a dissatisfaction at times when Klopp has left him out of the side. Arsenal were reported to be interested in the striker, but strained tensions between the two clubs following the Gunners’ interest in Luis Suarez could scupper any potential deal.

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Arsenal striker transfer targets

Neymar (Barcelona)

A move for the Brazilian superstar would certainly be one of the biggest shocks of the summer, but his future in Barcelona is uncertain and the Catalans could be forced into selling him due to their increasing financial troubles. United have again shown interest in Neymar, but there is no reason to suggest that Arsenal can’t challenge them financially for Neymar’s signature and he would certainly fit into Arsene Wenger’s style of football.

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Arsenal striker transfer targets

Radamel Falcao (Monaco)

The Colombian has failed at both Manchester United and Chelsea, and is due to return to Monaco at the end of the season after a torturous two-year spell in England. But could he remain upon these shores and join Arsenal? With Monaco keen to sell and Falcao scoring a total of six goals in two years, the former Atletico Madrid forward would be available for a much lower fee than was touted 12 months ago, and you can guarantee that one big club playing in European competition will decide to take the risk on Falcao.

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Arsenal striker transfer targets

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund)

The Gabon international is emerging as one of the most lethal finishers in Europe, having scored 25 goals in the Bundesliga this season and 30 in all competitions. Both Arsenal and Tottenham have been linked with Aubameyang, and the Gunners have sent scouts to watch the 26-year-old, with the club keeping an eye on him given Borussia Dortmund’s inability to hold on to their biggest players.

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Arsenal striker transfer targets

Mauro Icardi (Inter Milan)

The Inter Milan forward has emerged as a possible alternative to Morata, and at 23 years old Icardi would certainly offer Arsenal an option for a number of years. Icardi has scored 16 goals in Serie A this season, firing Inter back into European contention, but his form has caught the eye of the likes of Chelsea and United. However, the Inter captain has stressed that he will remain with the Italian club for next season, yet Arsenal could yet persuade him to move to the Emirates with the carrot of Champions League football.

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Arsenal striker transfer targets

Romelu Lukaku (Everton)

Lukaku is expected to leave under-performing Everton in the summer after admitting he wants to play in the Champions League next season. United have always been the front-runners for Lukaku, although a return to former club Chelsea has also been reported, while PSG are keeping an eye on the strong Belgian. However, Lukaku would certainly boost the Arsenal squad, and at 22 years old he could be the striker that Arsenal can build their squad around in the future.

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Chelsea remain interested in Morata though, with incoming manager Antonio Conte working hard to bring him to Juventus before he left the club to take up the national team role with Italy. The Blues were being linked with a potential swap deal that would have seen Eden Hazard head to Madrid in return for Morata plus a sizeable payment of around £40m, although the arrival of Belgium striker Michy Batshuayi has now raised doubts over Chelsea’s transfer plans.

Summer 2016 Transfer Window - Done deals and rumours

With both Radamel Falcao and Alexandre Pato leaving the club after their loan deals expired, Chelsea are still in the hunt for another striker to add to Batshuayi and Diego Costa. However, the Blues may hold off any decision until they have offloaded Loic Remy, with the Frenchman struggling to impress during an injury-hit spell at Stamford Bridge.

Real are yet to confirm Morata's return, but an announcement is expected shortly.

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