Arsenal “expressed an interest” in signing Alvaro Morata prior to him joining Galatasaray, according to The Athletic‘s James McNicholas.
The journalist is usually very reliable when it comes to the club’s transfers and he claims the Gunners did enquire about signing the former Chelsea striker on loan until the end of the season.
However, Mikel Arteta’s side were “beaten to the punch” with Galatasaray having made a decisive move to secure Morata at the weekend.
The 32-year-old played his first game for the Turkish champions, coming on as a substitute against Gaziantep FK, on Deadline Day.
Why did Arsenal pursue Morata?
The Spanish international has the same agent as another transfer target, Espanyol’s Joan Garcia.
Following the Gunners’ failure to snap up Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins, the club had to consider alternatives and Morata was one of the few players who was available.
Could another forward have been brought in?
Newcastle’s Alexander Isak would have been the club’s top choice but the Swedish international’s price tag is in excess of £150m so there was no chance of a deal being struck.
Benjamin Sesko was also considered but, when Arsenal asked about his availability, RB Leipzig made it clear in no uncertain terms that the Slovenian would not be sold before the end of the season.
The club’s attempts to buy Watkins also failed after their opening bid of £40m was turned down. Before they had a chance to table a second offer, Aston Villa had sold Jhon Duran, meaning they were no longer prepared to discuss the sale of another forward.
There were also discussions about Brighton’s Evan Ferguson but they already have two players on loan from other Premier League teams so the deal would have had to be permanent, and the Gunners weren’t prepared to take a risk on the injury-prone Irishman.
Find out who is in Arsenal’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here