Banned Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez is apparently looking for an escape route. The Merseyside Reds will participate in the UEFA Champions League for the first time since the 2009/10 season when they astonishingly finished third in Group E behind Fiorentina and Olympique Lyonnais. The fact is that Suarez will miss Liverpool’s first three group matches due to his four-month suspension for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup.
It remains to be seen how well the five-time European champions will perform without Suarez and whether they will be in pole position to reach the Champions League Last 16 by the time their star player’s suspension is over. The controversial Uruguayan forward may have a better chance of playing more Champions League matches next season if he joins Barcelona.
On Friday, Catalan TV stations claimed that an imminent £62.5M transfer could see Suarez become the fourth highest paid player at the Camp Nou, behind talisman Lionel Messi, 2013 summer signing Neymar and influential midfielder Andres Iniesta.
Spanish newspaper AS also reported on Saturday that Liverpool are set to accept a €79.2M bid from Barcelona. Negotiations concerning the exact amount of money to be involved are reportedly on-going but terms and conditions in the deal are closed as Suarez will put pen to paper for a five-year contract. The question as of now is whether an official announcement will be made on Sunday as several news sources in Spain expect.
