Alvaro Morata Returns to Juventus on Loan from Atletico Madrid

Luca Bruno/Associated Press

Juventus announced Tuesday it signed striker Alvaro Morata from Atletico Madrid on a one-year loan worth €10 million.

The deal allows for the Serie A champions to extend Morata's stay in Turin. Juve can pay €45 million to make his move permanent after the 2020-21 season. They would need to pay €10 million to keep him on loan through 2021-22, after which a €35 million fee would be attached to a permanent transfer.

Morata spent two seasons with Juventus before Real Madrid triggered a buy-back clause in June 2016. In 63 league appearances, he had 15 goals and 12 assists.

To date, the 27-year-old's reputation has largely outpaced his production on the pitch. He has never scored more than 15 league goals in a season, a feat he achieved once with Madrid in 2016-17. Despite that, he has shuffled through a number of prominent clubs across Europe.

Morata will likely benefit from the supporting cast around him, which ensures he doesn't have to be the primary goalscoring threat in every match.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored 52 goals through his first two years at Juventus, while Paulo Dybala proved his worth to the club after a potential move to the Premier League fell through.

Juve were looking to replace Gonzalo Higuain, who left for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer. Sky Italia reported earlier this month they had Edin Dzeko and Olivier Giroud on their list of targets. That arguably speaks to a club attempting to bolster its forward depth rather than aiming for a player to transform its attack.

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With that in mind, Morata is a solid addition.