Barcelona want to sign Xavi's priority target; alternate found in case of failure

Barcelona are not willing to give up on their chase for Alvaro Morata despite Juventus confirming that he will not leave this month. The Catalan club are aware that the player wants to move, but have kept a contingency in the event they are not successful in luring the Spanish forward away from Turin.

Xavi Hernandez made Morata a priority signing following the arrival of Ferran Torres from Manchester City. He is keen to further strengthen his attack and is looking for a traditional number nine to fill the void left by Sergio Aguero, who was forced to retire just four months after joining the La Liga giants.

The Barcelona manager initiated contract with Morata and the player is now eager to join his revolution at the Camp Nou. However, Juventus are playing hardball. Manager Massimiliano Allegri stated recently that he has no intention of allowing the Spain international, who is on a season-long loan from Atletico Madrid, to leave during the January transfer window.

According to Sport, Barcelona are not wavering in their pursuit despite Juventus' stance and will again make contact with the Serie A giants. They are hopeful that the Turin giants' hand will be forced if Morata insists on making a move back to his homeland after spending the first six months of the season in Italy.

Juventus are clear that they do not want to let him go, but could change their mind if they find a suitable replacement in the coming days. Mauro Icardi has been linked with a move to Juventus after having fallen out of favour at Paris Saint-Germain this season, but his high wages remain an issue for the cash-strapped Italian club.

Barcelona, meanwhile, are not hedging all their bets on Morata's arrival, and have a contingency plan in place if their pursuit of Xavi's priority target fails. According to Sport, the Catalan giants are looking at Manchester United forward Anthony Martial as a potential replacement with the Frenchman out of favour at Old Trafford.

Martial has told the Premier League club that he wants to leave this month, and Red Devils boss Ralf Rangnick has confirmed that they will let him leave if a suitable offer arrives. Interest from Barcelona is certain to turn the France international's head, and he could push for a move before the end of this month.