Speculation relating to the future of Alvaro Morata continues to generate column inches in the media this weekend.
Today, the popular news source, Sky Sports, is of the opinion that the 25-year-old is wanted by his former club, Juventus.
Morata previously spent time at the Turin based club, between 2014 and 2016, where he made 93 appearances and scored 27 goals.
His spell with the Serie A club came to an end when Real Madrid decided to activate his buy-back clause in his contract before then selling the Spaniard to Chelsea for a fee said to be circa £60 million last summer.
Our source goes on to suggest that Juventus want Morata to make a sensational return to replace the departing Mario Mandzukic.
However, according to another source, the Express are of the opinion Juventus are planning a sneaky move to get their man.
The Italian side are looking to take Morata on loan, for a fee of £15 million, but with an option to buy the striker for a further £40 million once the loan deal comes to a conclusion.
Now I doubt whether that’d be acceptable to Chelsea, who would be £45 million out of profit until a permanent deal is done, but they’d need to sign another striker to replace the Spaniard.
But, should Chelsea be looking to hang on to the Spanish international?
My own views are a little mixed, there’s no doubting that Morata, given the service, is a handful in the air but far too often he hasn’t looked world-class when faced with a one-on-one situation with the opposition goalkeeper.
Some might say he’s been troubled by a back complaint, but, to me, he doesn’t appear to have that fire in his belly that world-class operatives in his position have, but, then again, perhaps I was spoiled by the never-say-die antics of Diego Costa for whom there was never such a thing as a lost cause.
I’m surmising that Morata’s future at Stamford Bridge, will depend on who is sat in the dugout next season, if it is Antonio Conte then Morata will remain part of the fixtures and fittings at Chelsea, if it is someone else, then it could well be a case of adios!