Juventus extend Alvaro Morata's loan deal until 2022

Stefan Bienkowski

• 15 Jun 2021 21:05 BST
• 5 min read

Juventus have confirmed that they will extend their loan agreement with Atletico Madrid to keep striker Alvaro Morata at the club next season.

The Spanish striker made a return to the Turin club last summer almost immediately after joining Atletico Madrid on a permanent deal.

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Since then Morata has slotted back into the Juve forward line with notable success, having scored 20 goals and bagged a further 12 assists in all competitions for Andrea Pirlo’s side last season.

As such, it seems as though Juventus and new manager Massimiliano Allegri were more than happy to extend the striker’s stay in Italy and extend his loan by a further season.

Morata’s extension marks the first piece of business from the Italian giants as they begin a rebuild under their new manager.

Having finished well below expectation in fourth place last season, there’s no doubt that Allegri will be hoping to raise standards immediately when the new campaign gets going.

Does this mean Ronaldo could stay at Juventus?

One of the most intriguing aspects of Morata staying at Juventus could be how this impacts Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at the club.

The Portugal international has been heavily linked with moves away from Juventus this summer, as he approaches the final year of his contract.

It remains to be seen whether the forward will look to commit his future to the Turin club by extending his contract or will push for a move to a new club after the European Championship.

However, considering the manner in which Ronaldo and Morata formed a strong strike partnership for Juventus last season, it stands to reason that the Portugal star will welcome the news that his colleague will be staying put at the club.

However, whether that’s enough to keep Ronaldo at Juventus remains to be seen.