Juanma López, representative of Álvaro Morata, is optimistic about the signing of the international striker for Barça and has conveyed his optimism to the footballer and the Barça club. And it moves. After being in Italy, this Thursday he was in the offices of Atlético de Madrid at the Wanda to negotiate his departure from the rojiblanco club. In addition to Dembélé, today the key is in the mandatory purchase option. Atlético wants the Barça club to pay the 35 million that its repurchase option costs, but this is where the differences are with Barça, which proposes to do it through sports variables: games played, goals… The Barça club is not convinced of taking over the player if he does not give the expected performance. In addition, Barça would have to pay around five million to Juventus, which pays ten per season for the transfer.
Even so, both Mateu Alemany and Juanma López are optimistic and believe that the stars will align, Barça will manage to get Dembélé out on time (or renew him artificially) and will free up enough salary to face the signing of Morata, which is the express request of Xavi for the winter market. The coach maintains contact with the striker, to whom he has already shown his willingness to sign as a Barça player and to whom, moreover, he has promised that it is more than an emergency solution, but rather a footballer who, due to the characteristics who sees him, it would be important in the future of Barça.
There is one more factor. Miguel Ángel Gil Marín is interested in delaying the operation. The CEO of Atlético de Madrid is aware that there is a Barça-Atlético on the 6th and he is concerned that the player from Madrid can play and be decisive in that match. He would prefer that he not be there that day and he has to handle that letter, although he also knows that the Morata operation can allow Griezmann to get away for free…
In short, Barça and Morata are convinced that there are still real options for the footballer to wear the Barça shirt before January 31 and the team can improve some lousy numbers facing the door. Barça has an average of 1.33 goals per game this season; last season he signed 2.3 on average.