Allegri shoots down Morata to Barcelona links: “He will stay at Juventus”

Over the last few weeks, Alvaro Morata to Barcelona links have been catching fire. Coach Xavi Hernandez apparently contacted the Spanish striker himself as the team continues their search for a goalscoring option. Several outlets reported the deal to be done in principle, with Juventus hesitating to let him leave.

Today, Massimiliano Allegri, coach of the Old Lady, dismissed the rumours completely. When asked about the Spaniard’s exit rumours, he said, “Alvaro Morata won’t leave Juventus, he will stay at the club. I had a face-to-face meeting with him and told him: ‘you’re 100% staying'”

This comes as a huge hit for Barça, and more specifically Xavi, who specifically requested for the former Real Madrid forward. With Ansu Fati suffering constant injuries, Barcelona lack a reliable finisher, and a six-month loan for Morata could have solved their problems in the short-term.

However, Juventus have several financial constraints of their own and cannot find a replacement for Morata if he were to leave in January. They, apparently, made an approach for Luis Suarez, which was shot down by the Uruguayan.

That said, it is still five days into the winter transfer window and as sporting director Mateu Alemany put it, “Anything can happen right now.”