FC Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu has publicly admitted that his club had discussed a move from Liverpool to the Nou camp with Luis Suárez before the World Cup began and that Suarez had agreed to the move.
Not that it matters at this point, but the announcement by Bartomeu directly contradicts what Suarez told the U.K. paper the Mirror a month before the World Cup began: “Don’t worry, nothing is going to happen to me. I’m very happy here and my family is happy here.” He told the English paper when asked if he was staying at Liverpool.
It turns out the controversial Uruguayan striker lied at the time as a move to Barca was already in the works.
“When we approached Suarez, it was before the World Cup. We told him that he had the right age. He had the experience. Playing at Liverpool gave him incredible performance and it was the right time for him to come to our club, to Barcelona.” explained Bartomeu.
Suarez was transferred to Barcelona for a $109 million transfer fee just days before the World Cup ended, confirming reports and rumors that Suárez was headed to Barcelona at the end of the Premier League season in May.
In an interview with CNN, Bartomeu explained why he believed Suárez’s move to Barcelona was inevitable. “We knew from a lot of years ago that Luis Suárez likes our club, likes our city, his family is here.”
“We have the advantage – his agent is Pep Guardiola’s brother… He’s from Barca in his heart, also, so everything was perfect and created the perfect atmosphere that Luis Suárez accepted.”
It’s noteworthy to mention that despite rumblings to the contrary, there is no “bite clause” in Suárez’s contract. Suárez was suspended by FIFA for his bite on Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini during group play of the World Cup and is banned from all soccer related activity until late October.
According to Bartomeu, the bite and the suspension was never seen as a deal breaker during their courting of Suárez despite the ‘bite heard round the world’ being the third such biting incident that Suárez has had.
“He knows he did wrong. He apologized. That’s important for us.”
FC Barcelona’s mantra is “Més que un club” which means “more than a club.” With Suárez now seen as the bad boy of the sport of soccer and many critics and experts suggesting if Suarez bites again that he should be banned for life, Barca will have to handle Suárez with extreme care if they want to continue that mantra.
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