Luis Suarez looks set for the exit door at Barcelona this summer – but manager Ronald Koeman would like to keep him.
Suarez was reportedly told that his Barcelona career was over in a brutal phone call with Koeman last month.
The Uruguayan is currently weighing up his options with Juventus and Atletico Madrid interested.
But Spanish publication AS have revealed the decision to let Suarez go is not Koeman’s, but the club’s.
Suarez is Barcelona’s third all-time top goalscorer and has been one of their key players since joining in 2014.
His friendship with Lionel Messi has seen them flourish on the pitch and they formed two thirds of the lethal ‘MSN’ partnership with Neymar until 2017.
Last season saw his influence diminish and he scored 16 goals in 28 La Liga appearances.
Barcelona return to action in a friendly against Gimnastic on Saturday afternoon and Suarez has been left out of the squad.
Should the 33-year-old choose to join Italian giants Juventus, he will be in the same team as Giorgio Chiellini, who he infamously bit at the 2014 World Cup.
His punishment was a nine-match international ban, as well as a four-month suspension from all football activity – though it was later reduced.
But prior to a potential move to Turin, Suarez is said to have apologised to Chiellini after initially joking about their incident six years ago.
Per La Gazzetta dello Sport, Suarez said: “I admit I was wrong, but I am a human being. Each player has his own style of play, his own character and this got me where I am now.”
Suarez has gone on record to say he thought his £75 million transfer to Barcelona was going to collapse and didn’t even celebrate Diego Godin’s winning goal because he knew the aftermath that would follow.
Despite having teeth marks on his shoulder, Chiellini did not hold a grudge against the former Liverpool forward and has since forgiven him.
source:- fcnaija
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