Barcelona Dealt Blow as Report Claims Luis Suarez May Require Surgery on Knee Problem

Barcelona striker Luis Suarez is still suffering from a knee problem that has curtailed his start to the season for his club, and could be required to undergo surgery to overcome the issue.

A regular on the team sheet for the Catalan giants, the Uruguay striker has featured in just four league games out of seven in 2017/18, scoring twice.

Following Uruguay's 0-0 draw with Venezuela in last night's World Cup Qualifier, it was reported that Suarez is still feeling a discomfort in his right knee.

Alex Caparros/GettyImages

Despite his continued discomfort, apparently caused by a cyst on his right knee, the striker has continued to play through the pain for club and country since missing matches in August - and in particular did not want to miss out on Uruguay's important qualifiers. 

The Catalan report claims that while the problem is now serious, it could yet require surgery leaving Suarez out of action for a period of around three weeks.

As such the likelihood is that the procedure could be pushed back to either the November international break, or even as far as La Liga's winter break to minimise the impact on first team appearances missed.

FEDERICO PARRA/GettyImages

Barcelona have enjoyed an unbeaten start to La Liga this season without dropping a single point in their opening seven games. 

However the prospect of losing a player of Suarez's calibre for any period of time is not appealing to Barcelona, whose only other recognised striker in the first team is Paco Alcacer.