Roma apparently still hold an interest in signing Atletico Madrid striker Alvaro Morata despite a failed summer move for the Spaniard.
The Giallorossi were left short of attacking options due to a serious injury to Tammy Abraham, who tore his anterior cruciate ligament during the final weekend of the 2022-23 Serie A season.
Abraham will spend at least another few months recovering from his devastating injury, which left Jose Mourinho with Andrea Belotti as his only senior striker for the pre-season period.
The former Torino man did not find the back of the net once in the Italian top flight last season, but he already has two goals and two assists from four games this term, while Paulo Dybala can also operate in a number nine role.
Roma eventually brokered a deal to sign Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku on a season-long loan, as well as bringing in Sardar Azmoun on a temporary deal from Bayer Leverkusen, but both are set to rejoin their parent clubs next summer.
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As a result, Corriere dello Sport claims that the Europa League finalists still have Morata on their radar, even though the striker ruled out a move to Rome over the summer, albeit while expressing his admiration for Mourinho.
"I'm working and I'm very happy to be in Mexico with the team. I want to improve, I'm doing it in this pre-season. But we players don't control the transfer market," Morata told Mexican outlet Tudn.
"I'm here to enjoy Mexico, to work with the team. At the moment they're (Roma, ed.) not an option, they're not in my head. He [Mourinho] is a great coach, he was the one who gave me the opportunity to play my first professional match. I'm very grateful to him and I wish him the best."
The 30-year-old has made a bright start to the 2023-24 La Liga season with three goals from four appearances for Los Rojiblancos, but his contract expires at the end of the season.
Despite closing the door on a transfer to Roma this summer, the report adds that Morata would be open to a future reunion with Mourinho, and the striker's agents recently met with Roma director Tiago Pinto to discuss a possible switch.
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Atletico will be at risk of losing Morata for nothing next summer if they are unable to offload him in January, offering hope of a potential cut-price deal for Roma during the winter market.
However, the Giallorossi could supposedly still struggle to formulate a satisfactory financial package, as Morata is thought to be pocketing as much as £8.4m in the final year of his Atletico contract.
Nevertheless, Roma remain attentive to the situation and will take the demands of Morata's agents into account before deciding whether to press ahead with a deal for the former Chelsea and Juventus man.
In two separate spells at Juventus, Morata scored 35 goals and set up 29 more in 130 Serie A matches, winning two top-flight titles with the Bianconeri between 2014 and 2016.
Dybala (2) and Lukaku were both on target as Roma obliterated Empoli 7-0 at the weekend, which marked the Giallorossi's first win of the Serie A season at the fourth attempt.
Ben Knapton
