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Luis Suarez is facing an uncertain future at Barcelona but fellow striker Antoine Griezmann has been backed by the club.
Director Xavi Vilajoana spoke to TyC Sports about Suarez’s position at the club amid speculation he could be sold and explained: “Suárez’s future will be defined by the coach.”
Quique Setien was fired by the Catalan giants on Monday. Barcelona have since appointed Ronald Koeman as the club’s new manager on a two-year deal.
Vilajoana also spoke about Griezmann, who has endured a largely underwhelming first season at Barcelona, but denied a report the Frenchman could be used in part-exchange for Neymar.
“No, he is not intended as a bargaining chip to bring Neymar. He is an extraordinary player but it is true that the system that Barcelona uses is not easy to adapt. We are fully confident that the team will be fine in the coming seasons.”
An intriguing time awaits Barcelona after they finished the season empty-handed and suffered yet another humiliating exit from the Champions League. Koeman will bring new ideas to the club and will need to rejuvenate an aging squad.
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Suarez Attracting Interest
Suarez has attracted interest from other clubs since the end of the season. Former club Ajax are interested in bringing the Uruguayan back to the Eredivisie, according to Oriol Domènech.
Serie A champions Juventus are also pondering a summer move for the 33-year-old, according to Italian newspaper Il Corriere dello Sport. Mirko Calemme at Calciomercato has reported Suarez and Busquets could be used as part of a deal to sign Lautaro Martinez from Inter.
Suarez has a contract with Barcelona until the end of the 2020-21 campaign, but it will automatically renew for another year if he plays more than 60 per cent of the team’s games next season.
Suarez Camp Refutes Exit Rumors
Yet news that Suarez could be on his way out of Barcelona does not appear to have gone down too well with the striker. According to Ovacion, Suarez is not interested in leaving the club this season and has pointed to his scoring record as evidence of why he deserves to stay.
The 33-year-old ended the season with 21 goals in all competitions for Barcelona despite missing a chunk of the campaign after undergoing knee surgery. He was the club’s top scorer in the Champions League, with five goals from seven outings, and netted 16 times in the league.
Only Lionel Messi, Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema, and Gerard Moreno of Villarreal outscored Suarez in La Liga in 2019-20. In contrast Griezmann only scored nine times in the league and twice in the Champions League in his debut season Barca.
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