Barcelona reportedly approached former striker Luis Suarez over a potential return to Camp Nou but were rebuffed in their attempts.
According to Catalan outlet SPORT, Barcelona sounded out former superstar Luis Suarez over a possible comeback to the club this summer after it became clear that he would leave Atletico Madrid. However, the 35-year-old ace turned down the approach from the Catalan giants.
Suarez spent six successful years at Barcelona after arriving from Liverpool in the summer of 2014. The Uruguayan international forged a deadly partnership with Neymar and Lionel Messi upon arrival, helping the Blaugrana achieve great success. He cemented himself as one of the best centre-forwards in the game during his time at Camp Nou.
However, Suarez was shown the exit doors from Barcelona in 2020 after the appointment of Ronald Koeman as manager. Having signed for rivals Atletico Madrid, the former Liverpool ace fired Diego Simeone’s men to the La Liga title, showing the Blaugrana what they had missed out on by offloading him.
Suarez had an underwhelming 2021/22 campaign by his standards, as he managed just 13 goals in 45 matches across all competitions. And with his contract expiring on June 30, Atletico Madrid decided not to hand him an extension, with the striker bidding farewell to the Rojiblancos.
Barcelona have been in the market for a new striker and have identified Robert Lewandowski as their top priority. However, they are encountering issues in pursuit of the 33-year-old due to Bayern Munich’s reluctance to sell their ace goalscorer.
So, the report claims that Barcelona approached Suarez when it became clear that he would leave Atletico Madrid as a free agent. It is stated that the Catalans asked the Uruguayan international not to accept any other offers and wait until August to decide on his future as they wished to sign him if their pursuit of Lewandowski failed.
But, Suarez is believed to have respectfully turned down the proposal from Barcelona. It is reported that the 35-year-old already is fielding offers from the likes of Villarreal, Sevilla and Argentine giants River Plate and was not prepared to wait until August for Barcelona to make a decision and miss out on the opportunities he already has on the table.
Also Read: Three Robert Lewandowski alternatives for Barcelona to consider
So, a return to Camp Nou for Suarez is no longer on the cards, and Barcelona are upping the ante in their pursuit of Lewandowski, having made a fresh offer of €35 million. At the same time, though, the Blaugrana are keeping their options open and have set their sights on Suarez’s compatriot, Edinson Cavani, as a possible alternative.
