The Spanish newspaper "AS" has revealed a significant surprise, disclosing that Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez has spoken with former Real Madrid striker Álvaro Morata and his agent about signing the player for the team.
The report, published on Thursday, stated that Morata is Xavi Hernandez's top candidate to fill the striker position at Barcelona.
Details indicate that the coach has indeed contacted the forward, who is currently on loan at Juventus from Atlético Madrid, along with his agent, former footballer Juanma Lopez. The publication added: "Xavi called Morata to gauge his opinion, and the player admitted to him that he is currently uncomfortable at Juventus, expressing that he would join Barcelona with open eyes, with the coach also promising him that his joining would go well beyond the idea of a 6-month loan."
Morata, who is 29 years old, will have to reduce his current salary (net €10 million) to adapt to Barcelona’s financial crisis.
The newspaper reported that Barcelona plans to sell Antoine Griezmann permanently to Atlético Madrid for €40 million in the summer and purchase Morata for the same price, making it a balanced transaction.
Morata has a good relationship with several players at Barcelona, his teammates in the Spanish national team, including captain Sergio Busquets, Pedri, Ansu Fati, and Jordi Alba.
The report pointed out that signing Morata would mean the final departure of Luuk de Jong, and possibly Memphis Depay's transfer in the summer.
Despite receiving much criticism in recent years for his lack of efficiency, Morata's statistics cannot be denied: 471 matches, 176 goals, and 61 assists, distributed among Real Madrid (95 matches and 31 goals), Juventus (160 matches and 54 goals), Chelsea (72 matches and 24 goals), and Atlético Madrid (61 matches and 22 goals).
