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Alvaro Morata to Arsenal: Striker to meet Real Madrid officials as Spanish giants give Gunners £38m asking price

Morata is expected to return to Real due to a buy-back clause in his Juventus contract, but could be re-sold immediately should Arsenal come calling

Jack de Menezes

Thursday 26 May 2016 10:11 BST

Alvaro Morata will cost Arsenal £38m if they want to sign him from Real Madrid (Getty)

Arsenal have been told by Real Madrid that they will need to come up with a £38m offer if they want to sign Alvaro Morata this summer, with the Juventus striker set to hold official talks with his former club next week.

Morata is expected to return to Real two years after leaving the club for Juventus due to a buy-back clause in his contract. Under the current circumstances, Real can re-sign Morata for €30m [£23.6m] from 1 July either this year of in 2017, and the striker has already cast doubt over his future in Turin by admitting he does not know where he will be playing football next season.

Arsenal have been heavily linked with Morata along with Manchester United and Chelsea, and manager Arsene Wenger remains interested in the 23-year-old despite missing out on a loan move for him in 2014.

Having completed the signing of Granit Xhaka from Borussia Monchengladbach on Wednesday, Arsenal look keen to press on with their summer transfer business, and The Sun claim that Real have set their asking price at €51m [£38m] should the Gunners wish to do business again in the summer.

Real are keen to sign Morata only to move him on immediately, given they can generated a sizeable profit on his re-sale value. The club’s officials will meet with Morata next week ahead of the Euro 2016 Championship, with the forward currently back in Spain as he trains with Vicente del Bosque’s national team.

Arsenal striker transfer targets

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1/10Arsenal striker transfer targets

Arsenal striker transfer targets

Alvaro Morata (Juventus)

Morata looks certain to leave Juventus, but his destination remains unknown. Real Madrid lead the pursuit for the Spain international given they can activate a €30m [£23.6m] release clause in his contract after 1 July, but Juventus will be keen to sell elsewhere given they can command a much bigger fee based on is valutation. Morata would represent a proven goalscorer that Arsenal have lacked in recent years, having fired Juventus to two Serie A title and last season’s Champions League final.

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Arsenal striker transfer targets

Edinson Cavani (PSG)

Cavani is ready to end his Paris Saint-Germain career and move on to pastures new, having grown unhappy at playing second fiddle to Zlatan Ibrahimovic – who himself is poised to leave the club this summer. Having played in both Serie A and Ligue 1, Cavani has admitted that he would like to play in the Premier League, and the Gunners have been linked with the Uruguay international in the past.

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Arsenal striker transfer targets

Gonzalo Higuain (Napoli)

Arsenal missed out on Higuain when he left Real Madrid in 2013, having had a bid accepted for the Argentine only to see Napoli storm in and snap up the striker. However, Higuain could be on his way out of Naples, with the club looking to freshen their squad up in a bid to go one better and build on this season’s likely second-place finish to challenge champions Juventus.

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Arsenal striker transfer targets

Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)

Benzema may be another who finds his time is up at his current club, with Real expected to make a major signing of their own in the summer to try and add to the threat of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. While his two cohorts take the headlines in Madrid, Benzema remains one of the most prolific finishers in European football, and the Gunners showed genuine interest in the France international last summer only to decide against meeting Real’s valuation.

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Arsenal striker transfer targets

Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool)

Sturridge’s future has grown uncertain since Jurgen Klopp arrived at Liverpool. The striker has reiterated his commitment to the club and helped them reach the Europa League final, but he has also shown a dissatisfaction at times when Klopp has left him out of the side. Arsenal were reported to be interested in the striker, but strained tensions between the two clubs following the Gunners’ interest in Luis Suarez could scupper any potential deal.

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Arsenal striker transfer targets

Neymar (Barcelona)

A move for the Brazilian superstar would certainly be one of the biggest shocks of the summer, but his future in Barcelona is uncertain and the Catalans could be forced into selling him due to their increasing financial troubles. United have again shown interest in Neymar, but there is no reason to suggest that Arsenal can’t challenge them financially for Neymar’s signature and he would certainly fit into Arsene Wenger’s style of football.

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Arsenal striker transfer targets

Radamel Falcao (Monaco)

The Colombian has failed at both Manchester United and Chelsea, and is due to return to Monaco at the end of the season after a torturous two-year spell in England. But could he remain upon these shores and join Arsenal? With Monaco keen to sell and Falcao scoring a total of six goals in two years, the former Atletico Madrid forward would be available for a much lower fee than was touted 12 months ago, and you can guarantee that one big club playing in European competition will decide to take the risk on Falcao.

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Arsenal striker transfer targets

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund)

The Gabon international is emerging as one of the most lethal finishers in Europe, having scored 25 goals in the Bundesliga this season and 30 in all competitions. Both Arsenal and Tottenham have been linked with Aubameyang, and the Gunners have sent scouts to watch the 26-year-old, with the club keeping an eye on him given Borussia Dortmund’s inability to hold on to their biggest players.

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Arsenal striker transfer targets

Mauro Icardi (Inter Milan)

The Inter Milan forward has emerged as a possible alternative to Morata, and at 23 years old Icardi would certainly offer Arsenal an option for a number of years. Icardi has scored 16 goals in Serie A this season, firing Inter back into European contention, but his form has caught the eye of the likes of Chelsea and United. However, the Inter captain has stressed that he will remain with the Italian club for next season, yet Arsenal could yet persuade him to move to the Emirates with the carrot of Champions League football.

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Arsenal striker transfer targets

Romelu Lukaku (Everton)

Lukaku is expected to leave under-performing Everton in the summer after admitting he wants to play in the Champions League next season. United have always been the front-runners for Lukaku, although a return to former club Chelsea has also been reported, while PSG are keeping an eye on the strong Belgian. However, Lukaku would certainly boost the Arsenal squad, and at 22 years old he could be the striker that Arsenal can build their squad around in the future.

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Having sold Morata for £16m two years ago, Real will take an £8m loss on re-signing him, but stand to almost double that figure if they can find a club willing to take him on ahead of the new season. French league champions Paris Saint-Germain are also interested in Morata, with the club looking to replace Zlatan Ibrahimovic after the Swede left the club at the end of the season following the expiration of his contract.

Wenger turns on fans

Arsenal’s hastiness in trying to structure a deal with Real – they were reported earlier this week to have made an offer to Real – comes amid fears that they could be overtaken in the race for his signature by Chelsea, with incoming manager Antonio Conte said to be keen on the Spaniard.

Morata is determined not to think about his future publicly until after Euro 2016, although he will have to when he meets Real staff to discuss the possible outcome of a return to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Speaking after Juventus added the Coppa Italia trophy to their Serie A win last weekend – in which Morata came off the substitutes’ bench to score the winning goal against AC Milan – Morata refused to discuss where he will play next season.

Morata scored the winning goal for Juventus in their 1-0 Coppa Italia final win over Milan (Getty)

"It's not my last game of the season as I have to play in the Euros," Morata told Rai Sport.

"I have to make the most of my current form and not even think about the future."

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