'He was always Plan A' - Juve chief provides insight on Morata pursuit

Juventus were linked to a host of forwards over the summer but Fabio Paratici insists Alvaro Morata remained the club’s no.1 choice.

Juventus’ desperation to bring in a new partner in crime for Cristiano Ronaldo was quite apparent during the summer transfer market.

The Bianconeri had been over-reliant on Ronaldo in the 2019/20 season. Although he certainly did not disappoint, they sought to lighten the goalscoring burden on the 35-year old’s shoulders.

Luis Suarez, Edin Dzeko, and Arkadiusz Milik were some of the names linked with a move to the Allianz Stadium.

It is understood that Suarez came very close to joining the Italian side. He had agreed to personal terms but the move couldn’t materialize due to some complications.

The Serie A champions ended up signing Alvaro Morata, a trusted figure who had enjoyed a productive spell at the club previously, on a season-long loan deal from Atletico Madrid.

“Morata has always been Plan A for us. Atletico Madrid had not been open to a certain type of transfer, so we looked elsewhere at other players. When the situation changed, we did well to keep the door open, stay in contact, and were able to pick up where we left off,” Fabio Paratici told of the summer signing, as per Football Italia.

“One must be elastic on the transfer market, as various different options are always on the table.

“Alvaro was our first choice and the player whose characteristics most suited our tactical project.”