Reuters/JOHN SIBLEY
With the Premier League settled and the top four places virtually sealed, the top clubs in England are now turning their attention to their summer transfer business.
Chelsea currently have question marks over virtually everyone at the club with manager Antonio Conte looking less than secure at the top and the playing squad having their abilities questioned after a below-par season.
Alvaro Morata has arguably come under the most scrutiny this season as he has failed to fill the boots of Diego Costa who left the club in January. TalkSport are now reporting that Juventus will offer Chelsea £13 million next season for the striker with a view to paying £55 million if he impresses on his loan spell.
The Costa replacement
Reuters/JUAN MEDINA
Chelsea and Diego Costa had an up and down relationship. In his three seasons with the club, Chelsea won two Premier League titles as Costa terrorised defences with his battering-ram approach to striking.
However, speculation consistently followed Costa who always seemed to yearn for a return to Atletico Madrid. Antonio Conte never seemed to have a good relationship with him which eventually led to the Spain international going AWOL to force a move to Atletico Madrid.
So with all of this happening, Chelsea needed to find a replacement.
£60 million pounds was what it took to sign Morata from Real Madrid and Chelsea fans were hoping he could fill the void that Costa had left.
15 goals have followed this season which is respectable, however, Morata seems to lack to the character to lead the frontline on his own.
Question marks have continually been raised over the strikers' ability to lead the line and be effective in the Premier League.
Moreover, we have seen Chelsea sign Olivier Giroud from Arsenal in an attempt to help Morata, but so far it looks to have had the opposite effect as the Blues have floundered to a fifth-place finish.
Three goals in his last 12 outings have given Chelsea fans every reason to question Morata’s position in the team.
A return to Juve
Reuters/ANDREW COULDRIDGE
In a trophy-laden two seasons with the Old Lady, Morata proved to be a very handy player. He contributed often from the bench and scored 27 goals in 93 appearances.
Such was his success, he was re-signed by old club Real Madrid who exercised their buy-back clause.
His return to Madrid was again very successful as Morata proved himself as an impact player, scoring 15 league goals generally when coming off the bench.
A return to Juventus could be the tonic to reignite Morata’s career as the familiar surroundings and the love of the fans will surely make him feel more secure than he does at Chelsea.
Is it a good move?
For all parties, this seems like the perfect move. Chelsea will be able to move on from Morata and reinvest the transfer fee into other players. Juventus will get a player that they know can contribute to them and fits into their system. Finally, Morata will be able to move away from Chelsea where he never seems to have fit nicely.
If Chelsea can eventually break even on this transfer then they should be happy as Morata has floundered when given the chance to lead the line at the club.
Ultimately, it is clear that this transfer has never been a nice fit and it would be best for all parties if Morata was to leave.
Do you think Morata will move to Juventus? Let us know in the comments section below!