Juventus are in discussions with Barcelona over a move for forward Luis Suarez but expect the deal to be “difficult,” sources have told ESPN.
Suarez looks set to leave Camp Nou this summer with Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu having recently said the squad would undergo several of changes which would mean saying goodbye to some “club legends” following the appointment of Ronald Koeman as manager.
The Uruguay international said recently he was keen to stay at the club he signed for in 2014 and would even accept being benched.
However, sources have told ESPN Juve are in talks over a deal for 33-year-old but the Serie A champions believe it will be a difficult transfer to finalise.
New Juve boss Andrea Pirlo recently confirmed striker Gonzalo Higuain would be leaving the club and the Bianconeri are in the market for a replacement, with Roma’s Edin Dzeko and Napoli‘s Arkadiusz Milik among the other main targets.
Should Suarez complete a move to Juve, he would play alongside Giorgio Chiellini, who he bit at the 2014 World Cup and received a four-month worldwide ban from football, which delayed his Barca debut.
It looks likely to be a summer of transition at Barca with six-time Ballon d’Or-winner Lionel Messi also looking to leave, according to ESPN sources.
The Argentina captain has spent his entire career at Camp Nou, but sources have told ESPN Manchester City believe they are in pole to sign Messi should he leave.