Arsenal would have to pay £60 million to sign Spanish striker Alvaro Morata, one of manager Arsene Wenger‘s long-term targets. That’s the staggering fee Morata‘s current club Juventus and former team Real Madrid have set for the talented 22-year-old, per Ben Jefferson of the Daily Express:

Real Madrid have an option to bring Morata back to Spain after he was sold to Juve less than 12 months ago.

But the player’s reluctance to return to the Bernabeu means Real and Juve have struck a deal that will see the 22-year-old sold to another team if someone is willing to pay £60m.

Jefferson cited unnamed Italian reports indicating that, despite the astronomical fee, Morata remains on Wenger‘s radar ahead of this summer’s transfer window. That’s perhaps understandable, given how thin Arsenal’s options at striker may look come the end of this season.

Lukas Podolski is on loan at Inter Milan and out of favour with Wenger. Raw youngsters Yaya Sanogo and Chuba Akpom are also out on loan, along with Joel Campbell.

It’s possible that only one member of the latter trio returns next season. That would leave Olivier Giroud and Danny Welbeck as the Gunners’ only credible first-team centre-forwards.

Giroud has been in fine form this season. He’s netted 17 goals in all competitions, per Arsenal’s official site.

But the former Montpellier star will be 29 shortly after the new season starts. Wenger may see this as the right time to find some young competition for Giroud.

Morata fits the bill. He certainly offers more pace than Giroud. In fact, he’s a different type of striker than the tall Frenchman, despite similar physical attributes.

Morata offers height and strength, but he thrives playing between the lines—on the shoulder of the last defender. That’s a skill suited to Arsenal’s expansive passing game, even if Morata won’t hold the ball up and link with others the way natural target man Giroud expertly does so often.

The young Spaniard has already earned the seal of approval from Arsenal’s pocket-edition midfield schemer Santi Cazorla. He dubbed Morata the “future of the Spain side,” per AS reporter Joaquin Maroto.

Cazorla‘s praise came after Morata netted Spain’s winner during a 1-0 victory over Ukraine in Euro 2016 qualifying, per BBC Sport.

The talent is obvious with Morata. But even with his potential for future stardom, there’s no way Wenger would pay £60 million for a striker who has scored just nine goals since joining Juve last summer, per ESPN FC.

That’s the kind of fee reserved for established stars—not to mention Arsenal’s greater need for more talent in defence and at the base of midfield.

 

Gunners to Pay £2.5 Million for Teenager Federico Valverde

Wenger won’t break the bank for Morata, but he’ll still have one eye on the future in the transfer market. The Gunners chief is ready to pay £2.5 million for 16-year-old Federico Valverde, per Italian site TuttoMercatoWeb.com (h/t Metro’s Ben Grounds).

Apparently, Wenger is suitably impressed with the player who briefly trained with Arsenal during January. Now he’s ready to snare one of Penarol’s leading prospects.

Snapping up young talent early has always been a hallmark of the Wenger era. While the current squad isn’t as reliant on precocious gems as previous groups were, the Frenchman still makes room for intriguing youths.

Full-back Hector Bellerin, still just 20, has made a quick leap from the reserves ranks to the first team since joining from Barcelona in 2011. Wenger will be hoping for the same from Krystian Bielik, the 17-year-old defensive midfielder he signed from Legia Warsaw back in January.

Perhaps Valverde will be the next project for the production line at Arsenal.

Even a highly touted youth prospect represents a more realistic target than paying a not-so-small fortune for Morata.

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