BARCELONA - AGREEMENT CLOSED WITH BIANCONERI
Lionel Messi's announcement that he will be staying at Barcelona led to rumours that Luis Suarez may now stay at the Camp Nou too, but the truth is that the striker is closing in on a move to Juventus.
The 33-year-old has reached an agreement with the Bianconeri for a two-year deal with an option for another year, while he will earn 10 million euros net per year, which is less than what he is currently getting at Barcelona.
Juventus are able to pay Suarez less than what he earns in Spain because Italian taxation rules are different, so it plays into their favour.
The problem now comes with resolving the Uruguayan's contract at Barcelona as he still has one year left on his deal, in addition to an optional year after that.
If Suarez plays in more than 60 percent of Barcelona's games in the 2020/21 season, that optional year would be automatically renewed.
The player himself understands that he could have the right to receive up to two years' salary, but he is willing to give up the second one.
Barcelona are not making it easy, however, and are defending their interests.
On the one hand, there is paying Suarez a settlement in order to free him from his contract, but on the other, the club would ideally like to receive a fee from Juventus for the striker, even if it's a low amount.
In this respect, it would be a similar deal to the one that saw Ivan Rakitic re-join Sevilla.
Barcelona did not pay him the remaining year of his contract and instead received a 1.5 million euro fee from Sevilla, while there's another nine million euros in add-ons which are all linked to his performances for the Andalusian club.
This concept is also important in the case of Suarez, because Barcelona want to receive a series of add-ons relating to how Juventus perform in Serie A and the Champions League next season.
Talks with other teams who were interested - Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid and Leicester City - are all at a standstill, pending the resolution of the negotiation with Juventus.