Chelsea striker Morata is not going to Juventus as silly rumor circulates

Rumors around Chelsea are firmly set into manager mode at the moment but that does not stop silly rumors about Alvaro Morata and Juventus from circulating.

Alvaro Morata’s career was largely made in Turin. He had failed to break through in any fashion at his youth club Real Madrid so he jumped over to the Italian champions Juventus just as Antonio Conte was departing. He did well enough for Real Madrid to activate his buyback clause.

But he still struggled to break through under Zinedine Zidane. Zidane trusted the older yet less productive Karim Benzema. Even though Morata could score from the bench virtually every match, he failed to overtake the Frenchman. That saw him depart for Chelsea where he would finally be the main man.

But his dip in form after December has raised questions about him. Questions that have now turned into a rumor of Juventus wanting him back again. It is a ridiculous rumor, but one that even The Telegraph picked up on. Supposedly Juventus want him to come in and replace the departing Mario Mandzukic.

There are so many levels on which this rumor does not work and it is incredibly surprising to see a reputable paper run with it. First of all, linking a player with the club they made their name at when they are currently struggling is a well used technique. Morata has also been linked with a Real Madrid return in recent weeks.

Secondly, Chelsea spent a record fee on the Spanish striker. He has been at the club less than a year, has several years remaining on his contract and has scored a goal every 180 minutes. Those factors all add up to Chelsea refusing to sell Morata for anything less than what they paid for him plus a premium.

Juventus has paid more than Morata’s current transfer fee only once. That was for Gonzalo Higuain after he had torn Serie A apart with Napoli. Even now, Morata is unlikely to reach the same price tag but he would surely cost close to it.

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And Juventus simply are not a big spending club. Juventus, since Antonio Conte shot them back into stardom, has been a club that has used its money incredibly wisely. They rarely if ever make big money purchases. They find stars that are running out of contract and take advantage. Or they make clever loan deals for players. Or they simply find promising players to add to their sizable loan army.

Morata would be against their current transfer strategy. And Chelsea would be foolish to think Morata is a flop after just one season. Recent weeks have hinted at him turning the corner and Chelsea would lose massively if they pulled the plug in the summer.

Furthermore, Morata is far from an ideal replacement for Mandzukic. Since joining Juventus, Mandzukic has played as an inverted winger. This has taken advantage of his skill set from playing striker while also allowing Juventus to play Higuain and Paulo Dybala. Conte tried Morata in a similar role during preseason. It went poorly. That is not to say that Juventus could not figure it out but it would be a big risk for them.

So the rumor of Morata to Juventus does not make sense in regards to their transfer policy. Or Chelsea’s. Or the needs of either club really. The only thing it makes sense for is clicks and views.

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Morata is a Chelsea player. Life has not been as easy as he had hoped but there is still plenty there to look forward to. For now, dismiss this rumor and prepare for Morata to lead the line for at least another season.