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Football

22nd Sep 2020

Luis Suárez furious after Barcelona reportedly backtrack on Atlético Madrid move

Luis Suarez is said to be furious after Barcelona reportedly backed out of a deal that would have allowed him to join Atlético Madrid for free

Reuben Pinder

One regular day of Barça, all I ask for. Will never happen

Luis Suárez is reportedly furious after Barcelona backtracked on allowing him to join Atlético Madrid for free.

It’s been a rollercoaster month for Suárez. Following the appointment of Ronald Koeman as manager, it was made clear the striker had no future at Barcelona and would not be in the Dutchman’s plans for the 20/21 season.

That saw Suarez linked with a move to Juventus, hinging on him passing an Italian language test in order to gain Italian citizenship. He took the exam, but allegedly cheated by knowing which questions were going to come up on the paper before sitting the exam and completed it in a matter of minutes.

That move then fell through, and Juventus have re-signed Alvaro Morata instead.

Suárez then appeared set to sign for Atlético Madrid, completing the most bastardly front line in history alongside Diego Costa, managed by Diego Simeone.

But reports from ESPN now claim Barcelona have backtracked on the deal to let him leave for free, infuriating Suárez, who believes the verbal agreement between him and Barça should be honoured.

The Uruguayan is now considering holding a press conference alongside his lawyers to put forward his version of events in an attempt to resolve the situation.

Reports claim Barça put the brakes on the deal upon hearing he was close to joining Atlético, not wanting to strengthen a direct rival by allowing him to move for free.

The Catalans have been burned in the past by a similar deal in 2013 when they allowed David Villa to join Atlético on a free before Simeone’s side went on to win LaLiga that season.

Suárez has not featured in any of Barcelona’s pre-season friendlies and is reportedly bemused by the club’s stance, given unwanted they have made him feel.