Reports: Barca Bids $120 Million for Suarez

• Guardian, Thursday, July 3, 2014 3:17 PM

It looks like Luis Suarez will soon be heading to Barcelona, as representatives from Liverpool, his current club, and Barca met on Wednesday in a “productive” first meeting over a proposed transfer. According to several reports, Barca made an initial offer of 70 million pounds ($120 million), which is still 10 million pounds ($17.1 million) short of the Uruguay international’s buyout clause.

Both parties were boosted by the news on Thursday that FIFA would allow Suarez, who is banned from the game for four months for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini in a World Cup match a few weeks ago, to complete a medical in order to be transferred in addition to allowing him to train with his new club, something that the world governing was not prepared to allow, initially. Since FIFA’s ruling, Uruguay has lodged an appeal over the harshness of the decision and Suarez has issued a personal apology and admission of guilt, which are both believed to have swayed the decision.

That being said, many insiders claim that Suarez’s apology came at the behest of Barca management. It is no surprise, then, that President Josep Bartomeu praised the striker for showing remorse. “He [Suárez] did something that wasn’t right so it’s the responsibility of everyone in football, be it Liverpool or anywhere else, to remember that he has said sorry. Admitting you have done something wrong is very important,” the Barca president said. “Luis has apologized and that is honorable, he’s taken a step towards rehabilitating, the football world should support him and help him. As a soccer fan, I hope he can turn a corner.”

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