Rumour: Barcelona bid £70 million for Liverpool striker Luis Suarez
Spanish giants Barcelona are close to signing suspended Liverpool striker Luis Suarez for £70 million after a meeting was held in London between the two clubs.
Suarez is said to be in favour of a move to Nou Camp, which takes him away from the glare of the English media.
Barcelona are in the process rebuilding their squad after a disappointing domestic season and their admiration for the Uruguay forward has not changed even after his ‘bite’ on Italian defender Giorgio Chilellini in the World Cup. They are determined to close a deal for Suarez with their director of football management Raul Sanllehi holding talks with Liverpool chief executive Ian Ayre in London on Wednesday.
The Catalan club was reported to bid a drastically reduced fee after the Suarez suspension which meant he would miss the first 13 games but Liverpool have confirmed they are in no mood to sell their best striker for cheap in any circumstances. The deal is still in the initial stages and a fee has not been agreed yet, but both sides are convinced a deal can be struck soon.
Liverpool have requested Chile winger Alexis Sanchez to be included in the deal but Barcelona are ready to pay the full cash and the Chilean has not indicated that he wants a move to Anfield or any move away from Camp Nou.
Suarez had signed a contract extension until 2018 at Liverpool worth £200,000 a week wages in December.
A second meeting has not been fixed yet but a Liverpool source said they are close to getting their asking price after a cordial and productive first round of talks.
The 27-year old is banned from any football related activities for four months but is allowed to move and his preference to move to Barcelona was influenced by his wife who has her family based in the city.
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu’s admiration for the mercurial striker is an open secret and has appreciated Suarez’s decision to apologise to Chiellini and backed him to come back stronger.
“Suarez did something that wasn’t right so it’s the responsibility of everyone in football, be it Liverpool or anywhere else, to remember that he has said sorry. Admitting you have done something wrong is very important.
“Luis has apologised and that is honourable, he’s taken a step towards rehabilitating, the football world should support him and help him. As a football fan I hope he can turn a corner.”