FC Barcelona is in shambles and a revamp is forthcoming. Lionel Messi is the player that most have heard of likely heading out but there are more names to ponder. Among them include Luis Suarez who was reportedly deemed as surplus for Barca next season.
According to RAC1, Suarez will leave Barca on a free transfer and will be looking for a new home. With the Catalan giants now under the tutelage of Ronald Koeman, a major overhaul is expected to happen from here on. Aside from Suarez and Messi, other names being floated include Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.
Though he is already 33, there is no question that there will be clubs interested in taking in Suarez. He owns a well-decorated resume. That includes having won four La Liga titles, four Copa del Reys, the World Cup and the Champions League.
Unfortunately, it appears those credentials and his performance last season were not enough to convince Koeman to keep him on board. Koeman had already conversed with the Uruguayan on Monday, informing him that he needed to find another club.
Considering he is the third-highest goalscorer in Barca history, some feel that the move is a bit harsh. Suarez has amassed 198 goals in six years at Camp Nou. Add to that the fact that he is Messi's close friend, rumors of the Argentine also wanting to leave hardly comes as a surprise.
But the plan of Koeman seems clear. They want to clear some budget to revamp the team properly. Compounding their woes was the shoddy showing in the Champions League. They bowed to Bayern Munich, easily a sign that things are not going well over at Camp Nou.
As for Messi, it remains to be seen if there is a club willing to take him on. The fact that he holds a hefty $824 million release clause raises a lot of questions, especially with a lot of teams wary of spending lavishly during these times.
But even before Koeman got into the picture, the future of Messi was questionable. He has a strained relationship with club president Josep Maria Bartomeu who has been criticized for his unusual approach in planning and recruitment.
Messi has a clause in his contract where he could walk for free this summer. But his deal expired on June 10 with complications brought in by the pandemic. For the 33-year-old player, he believes he can still reactivate that clause since the season was extended. Barca is in quite a hole right now though only Suarez seems set to play for another club next season.
