ATLETICO MADRID STRIKER Alvaro Morata has undergone a medical this morning ahead of a return to Juventus, the Serie A champions said.
Morata, 27, who won the Italian title twice during a two-season spell in Turin from 2014 to 2016, is set to sign a one-year loan deal worth €10 million, according to newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.
“@AlvaroMorata checks into J Medical,” Andrea Pirlo’s side posted alongside a video of the attacker arriving at their training centre.
Morata played alongside Pirlo for a campaign before the midfielder left for New York City FC in 2015.
The Spain forward scored 27 goals in 93 games for Juve as they won the domestic double two years in a row before he joined Real Madrid, Chelsea and then Atletico.
Veteran striker Gonzalo Higuain left Juve for Inter Miami last week, meaning Pirlo is looking for options up front.
Barcelona’s Luis Suarez has been linked with a move to both the Bianconeri and Atleti in recent days.
Suarez has been told he is not part of new Barca manager Ronald Koeman’s plans, but a free transfer can only happen if he agrees a severance package.
Juve have already reached their quota for non-EU players, but in a bid to help the move go through, the former Liverpool forward arrived in Perugia on Thursday to pass a language test required to receive an Italian passport.
He is eligible to apply through his marriage to an Italian citizen.
And while bureaucratic delays meant he was unlikely to receive it before the transfer window in Italy shuts on 5 October, Suarez has this morning been accused of cheating on the test by the Italian media.
La Repubblica claims that the questions were agreed upon in advance of him sitting the test.
Atleti are ready to offer Suarez an alternative exit route as Morata’s replacement.
© – AFP 2020 with reporting from Ben Blake
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He’s better off playing every week in a relegation battle at Yeovil, where results actually mean something, as opposed to sitting on the bench at Everton IMO.