Barcelona facing trouble from third club to land Xavi's top target

Barcelona are not giving up on their chase for Juventus forward Alvaro Morata, with Xavi Hernandez keen to bring the striker to the Camp Nou this month. But the Catalan club is facing an obstacle in their pursuit of the Spaniard, and it is not coming from their Serie A counterparts, but from a third club.

Morata is currently on a season-long loan at Juventus from Atletico Madrid, and is open to moving back to his homeland to join Barcelona. Xavi initiated contact with the Spain international and believes he is the ideal candidate to fill the void left by Sergio Aguero in the number nine role.

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri stated that he has no intention of letting Morata leave this month, with the Italian counting on the forward until the end of the season. Despite his intentions, the Turin giants are said to be willing to cut short Morata's loan, if they find a suitable replacement.

According to Spanish publication Sport, Juventus will be willing to let Morata join Barcelona if they can find a quality replacement on loan until the end of the season. Paris Saint-Germain forward Mauro Icardi is the Serie A club's top target, but the Ligue 1 club are playing hardball, which is hurting the La Liga outfit's chances of signing the former Real Madrid forward.

Icardi was struggling for game time at the start of the campaign following the arrival of Lionel Messi, but Neymar's injury has seen him get more opportunities under Mauricio Pochettino. With the Brazilian's injury as the main reason, the Parisian club are reluctant to let the Argentine forward leave the Parc des Princes this month.

So unless Juventus make a breakthrough with PSG, Barcelona are unlikely to be able to bring Morata to the Camp Nou this month. The other option will be if Juventus find an alternative with Atletico's other out of favour forward Luis Suarez said to also be on their radar.