Rumour Has It: Juve want Morata replacement before authorising Barca switch as Haaland hints at LaLiga move

By Sports Desk January 04, 2022

Barcelona want to sign Alvaro Morata and it would appear the Juventus striker wishes to join Xavi's team.

After bringing in Ferran Torres, Xavi would reportedly like to add experienced Spain international Morata to his ranks at Camp Nou.

Morata has scored five Serie A goals for the Bianconeri this season.

 

TOP STORY – JUVENTUS WANT MORATA REPLACEMENT BEFORE AUTHORISING BARCA SWITCH

According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona target Morata has informed Juve of his desire to leave the club in January.

Massimiliano Allegri met with the 29-year-old on Monday, with the upshot being that Juve will only grant Morata his move should they be able to find a replacement.

Paris Saint-Germain striker Mauro Icardi is seen as a possible option for the Bianconeri, who are having a poor season in Serie A, sitting 12 points off the summit.

However, further complicating matters in Morata's potential switch to Barca is that he is on loan at Juve from Atletico Madrid, who would need to authorise any transfer.

 

ROUND-UP

- Erling Haaland , who has been holidaying in Marbella, has told people close to him that he sees his next destination being Spain, with Real Madrid and Barcelona on high alert. That is according to Marca.

- Sky Sports believe that Romelu Lukaku will stay at Chelsea after holding talks with Thomas Tuchel following his comments in an interview with Sky Italia, which resulted in the striker missing Sunday's clash with Liverpool.

- The Daily Mail, citing Gianluca Di Marzio, claim that Barcelona are monitoring the situation of Lukaku's Chelsea team-mate Andreas Christensen, who is out of contract at the end of the season.

- Another Chelsea defender into the last six months of his deal is Antonio Rudiger, with Sky Sports reporting Real Madrid , Bayern Munich , PSG and Juve have all entered talks with the Germany international's representatives. 

- According to The Daily Mail, Newcastle United are aiming to sign Zenit striker Sardar Azmoun. The Iran forward has agreed personal terms with Ligue 1 club Lyon, but the French side may be unable to match Zenit's asking price for the 27-year-old.

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    Vincent Kompany said he would wait until Saturday to decide whether Eric Dier and Dayot Upamecano are fit enough to return to action for Bayern Munich. 

    Bayern welcome Union Berlin to the Allianz Arena, hoping to maintain their advantage over RB Leipzig at the summit of the Bundesliga standings.

    Both Dier and Upamecano are nursing injuries, with the former Tottenham defender replaced by Arijon Ibrahimovic in Bayern's DFB-Pokal win over Mainz in midweek. 

    Upamecano also missed the trip to the Mewa Arena with a thigh injury, only adding to the defensive woes Kompany has suffered this season. 

    Bayern are already without Hiroki Ito, Sacha Boey and Josip Stanisic, but Kompany is yet to make a decision on Dier and Upamecano's role in Saturday's fixture. 

    "It's a pity when players are unavailable. I have 18 fit players, so I have 18 options for the positions," Kompany told a press conference.

    "There have obviously been a lot of games in the last few weeks. I have full confidence in the other boys and in the squad."

    "The tendency (for Dier and Upamecano) is good but still I will take my time until tomorrow. But it looks good."

    During their win over Mainz on Wednesday, Kompany was forced to play a central defensive partnership made up of Leon Goretzka and Konrad Laimer. 

    And the Bayern boss was not against starting that same duo against Union Berlin this weekend after their strong showing in the DFB-Pokal. 

    "I could say it is bad for us with two, three or four defenders missing," Kompany added. 

    "But I have full faith in the other players. I hope they will be fit but in any other case I have faith in the other lads."

    Kompany has collected 20 points in his first eight Bundesliga games as Bayern head coach, the best return since Carlo Ancelotti in 2016.

    No coach in top-flight history has seen his side score as many goals in their first eight games as Kompany (29), and the Belgian has reason to be confident this weekend.

    They have not lost any of their 10 league meetings with Union Berlin (W7, D3) – the only other side Bayern have faced as often in the top-flight without losing is Darmstadt.

    However, Kompany was wary of the threat Bo Svensson's side, who have picked up 15 points after eight Bundesliga games – only ever being better off in 2022-23 (17).

    "They have done it well so far. They are up there and we will not be underestimating them. But the game is about us," Kompany said.

    "You can see that they are very strong in defence and on the counter. This is a team that knows what it has to do. But in the end it is a home game for us."

  • Juventus must improve across the board to challenge for Serie A title, claims Motta Juventus must improve across the board to challenge for Serie A title, claims Motta

    Juventus must improve all aspects of their performances if they are to challenge in Serie A this season, so says Thiago Motta.

    Despite remaining unbeaten in the league, just two wins in their last eight games has left Juve in sixth place with 18 points, seven behind leaders Napoli.

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    Juve finished third last term, 23 points behind runaway champions Inter, and the season before they were seventh.

    And asked about the growing gap between Juve and their title rivals, Motta said: "No club has won the Scudetto in November. We think about Udinese and we want to improve in all aspects, we must all do more, including myself.

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    "We must improve collectively, be united and help each other more. We must be aggressive and leave less space between the lines," he added.

    "We must make the best decisions as a team. We can’t let the opponents feel comfortable on the pitch."

    Juve have drawn 16 of their 30 league games in 2024 (W10 L4), a record in the top five European Leagues; only once have the Bianconeri recorded more draws in a single calendar year in their Serie A history (17 in 1956).

  • Motta: Errors at both ends of the pitch cost Juventus against Parma Motta: Errors at both ends of the pitch cost Juventus against Parma

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    "I think today we conceded too many restarts. At their goal kicks, we were trying to bring the defender out to then be able to press and cause an error, but we didn't succeed," he told DAZN after the match.

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    "We have to have balance and control of the game. Today we did well until the last two metres, but in the end we have to do better," he said.

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    "Kenan coming on later, with the game more open, is an ideal player to create situations. He has freedom in the final metres, it was normal today to want to open things up against such a closed team."

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