According to a recent Spanish report, Arsenal are interested in signing Real Madrid forward Álvaro Morata once more and could be prepared to make a bid of €70m (£60.6m) to sign the talented Spaniard.

Having been linked with the 24-year-old previously during his time at Juventus, it’s understandable that Arsenal could be looking at the striker as a long-term option going forward.

He has struggled for regular minutes since his return to the Bernabeú this term, but has still has managed nine goals and four assists across 22 competitive fixtures.

In seven of those matches, he’s featured for 15 minutes or less, giving him limited time to prove his ability and make a real impact on matches. He was sidelined for three weeks in November with an issue to do with his Achilles tendon, but his injury history is relatively minor when you look back at recent seasons.

Morata spent two successful seasons in Turin with Serie A champions Juventus, allowing him to flourish with a regular starting berth. With that being said, he was honest when talking about how he always felt a move back to Madrid could prove beneficial for him, despite it seeming as if they were willing to cash in on the forward.

So, how credible is the report?

A potential move for Morata makes sense given his desire for regular first-team action, but it’s highly unlikely he’d leave at any point in the coming months as he is the type of player who’ll be eager to fight for his spot rather than departing at the first opportunity.

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Real Madrid’s forward Alvaro Morata (R) vies with Dortmund’s Greek defender Sokratis during the UEFA Champions League football match at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid on December 7, 2016. (Picture source: Pierre-Philippe Marcou / AFP / Getty Images)

Reports earlier this month suggested a return to Juve was on the cards, and it’d be naive to suggest he didn’t know what he was getting himself into when signing a contract to rejoin Los Blancos last summer.

Karim Benzema is undoubtedly the first-choice striker in what has been a successful 433 formation for Zinedine Zidane’s side, and it’s likely that Morata will have to grin and bear it – though he’ll be hungry for more chances as the season continues.

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Real Madrid’s forward Alvaro Morata (R), Real Madrid’s Brazilian defender Marcelo (C) and Real Madrid’s Welsh forward Gareth Bale celebrate after scoring a goal during the Spanish league football match against Deportivo Leganes SAD on November 6, 2016. (Picture: Javier Soriano / AFP / Getty Images)

Zidane himself revealed that the 24-year-old will not be leaving in January, along with James Rodríguez and Pepe, but questions will be asked if his situation doesn’t improve before the end of the current campaign.

If reports are to be believed and Arsenal are scouting him, they’ll know that they have to pay over the odds to secure his services on a long-term deal but again, it’s a question of how badly they want him, if they actually still do at this point with the level of attacking depth at Arsène Wenger’s disposal.