Juventus will not let Barcelona target leave in the winter

Barcelona may have been dealt a setback in their pursuit of Spanish striker Alvaro Morata if latest reports are to be believed.

The 29-year-old forward is on loan at Juve from Atletico Madrid since September 2020 and has been a key player for the Italians, despite not delivering the goods in front of goal consistently enough.

Barça, though, are trying to snare him away from Turin as they look to add a natural No. 9 to the squad following the unfortunate retirement of Sergio Aguero.

Reports indicated that there is already a total agreement between the player and the Catalan giants over personal terms. It had also been claimed that the three clubs involved – Barcelona, Juventus and Atletico Madrid – were also closing in on an agreement.

However, as per the latest reports from COPE, the Bianconeri may have reneged on the deal as manager Massimiliano Allegri met with Morata and has informed him that the club will not let him go midway through the season.

This has now cast doubts over the chances of a move, with the striker and his camp now feeling pessimistic about the transfer, despite having a full agreement in place with the La Liga giants.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has corroborated the story as well, claiming that the Juventus board and Allegri had a meeting with the Spanish international on Monday. During the talks, they informed him that he will not be allowed to leave in case the Turin giants fail to bring in a replacement on loan.

The Italian journalist, however, does add that the Serie A bigwigs are working on a deal to sign Mauro Icardi from PSG. However, their priority at the moment is to go after a top young centre-forward in the summer transfer window, which could impact Barça’s chances of signing Morata in January.