Eleven years after Alvaro Morata’s first move to Juventus, agent Beppe Bozzo has looked back on the landmark 2014 transfer that took the Spanish striker from Real Madrid to Turin. Speaking to Tuttosport, Bozzo revealed the behind-the-scenes dynamics of that deal and even shared insights about later attempts to reunite the player with the Bianconeri.
Bozzo explained that the story began through his close relationship with Juanma Lopez, Morata’s long-time agent. “I’ve known Juanma since 2010 and I consider him like family,” he said. “He often spoke to me about Alvaro, who at the time was a talented prospect — still very young and not yet overhyped. When I started following him, it was easy to fall in love with the player and the person: he’s a fantastic guy with strong values, and his father Alfonso passed a lot of that on to him.”
The choice of Juventus, Bozzo noted, was no accident. Both he and Lopez believed the club could offer Morata the space and consistency he needed to develop. “We were absolutely sure about Juve,” Bozzo said. “And Alvaro’s growth there was exponential.”
The negotiation itself, however, was far from straightforward. “Juventus were interested, but for us it looked like an impossible mission,” Bozzo recalled. “Morata had just won the Champions League, and Florentino Pérez adored him. What made the difference was Alvaro himself — he wanted to leave at all costs, looking for a big club where he could play regularly.”
It was during those intense talks that an entirely new contractual concept debuted in Italian football: the buy-back clause. “Eleven years ago that was unheard of,” Bozzo revealed. “Without that clause, we would never have managed to bring him to Turin. It was an innovative operation that benefited everyone: Juventus enjoyed the player for two years and then made a profit when Real Madrid exercised the buy-back. From then on, many clubs took inspiration from that model — just think of Como with Nico Paz.”
Bozzo also disclosed a lesser-known chapter in Morata’s career. In 2017, the Spaniard was on the verge of joining AC Milan. “The Chinese ownership wanted him strongly, but delays in the closing process stopped everything,” Bozzo said. “He really wished to return to Italy, but it wasn’t possible.”
As for the more recent past, Bozzo confirmed that Morata came close to a third stint in Turin in 2023. “Giuntoli wanted him, and we had agreed on everything,” he revealed. “But the attack was already overcrowded, and it wasn’t possible to make it work. Alvaro truly hoped for that return.”
