Luis Suarez is unlikely to change shirt this season as his plan to leave Barcelona stumbled into complications. The Uruguayan striker was reported on his way out of Camp Nou for Juventus but eligibility issues have reportedly derailed the transfer move. So Suarez is seen to possibly stick around.
Following the appointment of Ronald Koeman as new Barcelona coach, the 33-year-old was declared a surplus to requirements. In recent weeks, the Barca star has reportedly secured a deal with Juventus that will see him play for the Old Lady in the next three seasons.
Suarez stands to earn £9 million on the deal but a contract can only be made official if the striker can obtain an Italian passport, which was initially thought to be an easy hurdle.
But according to Metro, time is not playing in favor of Suarez. While the star seemed set to win citizenship from Italy, on the account that his wife is a citizen of the country, a passport can only be issued on October 6 at the earliest.
The appointed date will not allow Juventus to register Suarez on the official roster to compete for Serie A and the Champions League. Having informed of the scenario, Suarez decided to back out of the deal, the report added.
His transfer prospects also include Ajax and Atletico Madrid but the salary offers from the clubs were below the player's expectations. That is why Suarez is likely to remain where he is at the moment, and reports from Spain indicated that Koeman now welcomes working with the football veteran.
The Barca boss said Camp Nou is working on deals that will give Suarez opportunities elsewhere but he is open to the player staying on the squad. If that will be the case, Koeman said the player will be treated as a regular member of the Barcelona roster, stressing that the Catalans "respect contract."
"Suarez will be one more [member of the squad] if he stays," Goal reported the Dutch manager as saying.
Koeman also shared that he had a talk with Suarez on the matter and the player was made aware of the situation as well as his standing with the Barca squad.
The discussion possibly touched on the Uruguayan star's new role with Koeman's side. The coach has made clear that his new gameplay will focus on the younger talents and giving more playing minutes on the rising star of the team.
If Suarez will elect to stay, he is likely to play backup to Antoine Griezmann. The French star recently got his hands on Barcelona shirt No. 7, which is the fulfillment of Koeman's earlier promise that Griezmann will be getting better exposure under his watch.
