ATLETICO MADRID have rejected a £46million offer from Juventus for their former striker Alvaro Morata.
Atletico are reluctant to let Morata go on the cheap after forking out £58million to sign him from Chelsea.
Morata is said to be keen on a return to ItalyCredit: EPA
They have told Juve to either increase their offer, or activate his £137million release clause, according to the Daily Mail.
New Juve boss Andrea Pirlo, who made the offer, played alongside Morata in Turin during the 2014/15 season.
Pirlo is keen to build upon the success that the pair had at the club where they won the domestic double together and finished runners-up to Barcelona in the 2015 Champions League final.
He joined Juve in 2014 from Real Madrid for £18.4million, but the move included a buy-back option for £27.7million that Madrid decided to exercise in 2016, forcing his departure from Italy.
Despite having Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala at his disposal, Pirlo believes that Morata can add a new dimension to his attack.
Manager Andrea Pirlo only pockets £1.6million-per-year after taking charge of the club
The Spaniard has grown increasingly frustrated at life in Madrid after falling behind Diego Costa in the pecking order.
He has previously admitted that he misses the Italian life and longs to go go back.
Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport he said: “I arrived in Italy feeling like a boy and I returned feeling like a true player. I should never have left Italy and Juve.
“I really miss Italy. My wife would like to live in Spain. I’d like to live in Italy.”
During his time with the Italian giants, Morata made 93 appearances and scored 27 goals.
Man Utd transfer target Douglas Costa in shock Alvaro Morata transfer swap talks between Atletico Madrid and Juventus
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
