Real Madrid Transfer News: Latest on Alvaro Morata Rumours

Real Madrid will reportedly pursue Juventus striker and former Los Blancos star Alvaro Morata if their plan to replace Cristiano Ronaldo with Chelsea's Eden Hazard fails.

That's according to Simona Marchetti of Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t BBC Sport), who notes Real will try and engineer a return for the Spaniard provided they sell Ronaldo but aren't able to prise Hazard away from Stamford Bridge.

The 23-year-old spent six years with Real before moving to Juventus in 2014, and the striker has had a phenomenal impact on the Bianconeri, notching 15 goals and seven assists in all competitions in his debut season.

Five of those came in the Champions League, with Squawka Football highlighting the manner in which Morata thrived on big occasions:

Juve have struggled at times in this campaign after losing the likes of Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Carlos Tevez in the summer, but Morata has been one of their stronger performers with three goals and two assists to his name, including an exquisite curling effort against Manchester City.

BeIN Sports' Matteo Bonetti was particularly impressed with the strike:

The striker has naturally garnered plenty of plaudits in recent times, with his team-mate Gianluigi Buffon heaping considerable praise on him to Marca (h/t football journalist Adam Digby):

Unfortunately for Real Madrid, Morata seems more than content to remain in Turin and has indicated he would be happier staying put than returning to his old club, per Digby:

With that being the case, it seems likely the striker would resist any interest from Real, and with not only Tevez but Fernando Llorente gone, Juve will be equally reluctant to allow Morata to depart.

Their pursuit of him reportedly hinges on both Ronaldo and Hazard's futures, though, so if Ronaldo remains at the Bernabeu or Hazard makes the switch to the Spanish capital, they might hold off on recruiting further firepower.