Barcelona Prepared to Sacrifice Key Man as Pursuit of Antoine Griezmann Intensifies
Barcelona are willing to sell Luis Suarez this summer - providing the Catalan giants successfully negotiate a deal to sign Antoine Griezmann.
The 31-year-old has enjoyed another standout campaign for Barça, netting 24 times in 31 league appearances. His performances have helped his side remain unbeaten in La Liga thus far, with Ernesto Valverde's men facing games against Levante and Real Sociedad in their bid to become Spain's first ever 'Invincibles'.
Suarez could be offloaded this summer however, with The Mirror reporting that Barça are prepared to let him leave should Griezmann complete his highly anticipated move from Atletico Madrid.
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The French striker is understood to have turned down a move to Manchester United in favour of the Camp Nou. Despite strong public protestations from Atleti's hierarchy, it seem the club would be powerless to stop Griezmann from moving to their domestic rivals due to a release clause in his contract.
Griezmann signed a new deal last summer, though it includes a fee allowing him to leave for just €100m from July 1 onwards. His departure is now expected to become a formality, with Griezmann's representatives reportedly having met Barcelona officials recently to thrash out the terms of his contract.
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News of Suarez's potential departure comes as a surprise, following comments made by the Uruguayan regarding Griezmann's potential arrival. The former Liverpool hitman had suggested he would welcome the club signing another player of his calibre, hinting that he expected to be playing alongside him.
"It makes the club proud to bring players of this quality like Antoine, like [Ousmane] Dembele and [Philippe] Coutinho came," Suarez told Spanish station Radio Rincon.
"He’s a player who brings a huge amount, he has a lot of years playing at the highest level, always fighting. He rules up front for Atletico and that is fundamental. He is not coming to take the place of anyone, but with the ambition of winning important things."
News of Suarez's potential availability would most likely trigger interest from all around Europe (not least among fans of his former club Liverpool), with his goalscoring exploits showing no sign of slowing down just yet.
