Chelsea flop Morata called ‘great player’ by Barcelona boss Valverde to fuel transfer talk after striker was dropped by Sarri

BARCELONA coach Ernesto Valverde has praised Chelsea outcast Alvaro Morata and revealed he will weigh up his attacking options after the departure of forward Munir El Haddadi.

The Blues' striker missed Saturday's 2-1 victory over Newcastle due to "tactical reasons".

Sarri failed to rule out that Morata will leave Stamford Bridge in January, and told reporters ahead of the Newcastle clash: "If Morata goes to another club we need a replacement."

And the 26-year-old missed the Premier League game, despite returning to training after dealing with a hamstring problem, with Sarri explaining the decision was made for "tactical reasons".

The Spaniard has been linked with a move to Nou Camp to provide support for an ageing Luis Suarez, and amid speculations over the futures of Denis Suarez and Munir.

And with the latter joining Sevilla for barely £1million, Valverde revealed he would like to fill the void in Barcelona's attacking line, and praised out-of-favour Morata.

When asked about Morata, he said: "I can only say the same thing. That he's a great player, that he's at another team and that we respect that a lot.

"We have to look at it, it's clear that after Munir's departure we have a space.

"We'll see if we can sign a player, although we have to take into account the club's economic conditions. We will see if we can, if someone comes."

Sarri is looking to offload Morata and reunite with his former Napoli hitman Gonzalo Higuain, who now plays for AC Milan.

SunSport reported that Chelsea wanted to include the Spain international in a swap deal for the Argentine.

But Morata's camp has also considered other options, including a loan move to Sevilla, as the striker felt he was disrespected by the London club.

However, the La Liga outfit's director of football Joaquin Caparros claimed the Blues were "difficult to negotiate with" - and with the arrival of Munir from Barcelona the deal might now be dead in the water.

Morata has scored nine goals this season, but has lost Sarri's trust having failed to justify the £65million Chelsea paid Real Madrid for the striker in 2017.