Alvaro Morata to Arsenal: Gunners submit first bid as Juventus boss admits possible exit

Arsenal have begun their pursuit of Alvaro Morata in earnest after submitting their first bid to Juventus as Arsene Wenger looks to bolster his front line following his team's struggles to consistently find the back of the net in the second-half of the Premier League season. The Frenchman is a big admirer of the Spanish forward and even tried to sign him before he joined the Italians from Real Madrid in 2014.

According to the Sun, the Gunners have submitted a bid of around £28m ($41m) to bring the Spain international to the Emirates Stadium, but could be forced to pay more with the Spanish capital club ready to demand close to £38m ($55m) after they initiated the buy-back clause they inserted in his contract when they offloaded him to Juventus.

Real included a buyback clause of €32m (£25.2m, £35.7m) in his contract, which according to Spanish publication Marca, they are planning to exercise before selling him to the highest bidder for around €50m netting them a tidy profit along the way.

The final decision, however, is likely to be taken following their Champions League final against Atletico Madrid on 28 May, but Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has admitted that the striker is likely to leave after revealing that they are looking at replacements for the 23-year-old forward. The striker is reportedly unhappy at the amount of game time he was afforded during the course of the campaign, but the Italian manager believes that remaining in Turin will be beneficial for Morta in the long run.

"The club are working on the transfer market and monitoring possible alternatives. We have a lot of forwards with players who are all in national teams and many young guys," Allegri said, as quoted by the London Evening Standard.

"I've already given Morata some advice: he needs to stay at Juventus... What did he say? He nodded. I hope he understands, I'm saying this for his own good," the Italian coach added.

Meanwhile, Serie A title winners' CEO Giuseppe Marotta has admitted that the Italian clubs are set to face a battle to land their top targets during the summer as they cannot compete with the financial muscle of the Premier League. He believes that even a mid-table club in the English top-flight can outbid Juventus when it comes to offering better wages.