Luis Suarez has reportedly decided Atletico Madrid as his future destination, snubbing a move to Juventus in the process.
According to a report published by The Sun, Atletico Madrid are the front-runners in the race to sign Luis Suarez from Barcelona, with the Uruguayan preferring a move within La Liga over Juventus.
Luis Suarez moved to Barcelona on the back of a spectacular season with Liverpool, scoring 30 goals in the league and winning the Golden Boot in the process. The deal cost Barcelona a sum of €80 million but has definitely paid off.
In his first year in Catalonia, Suarez ended the season with 16 goals and four assists in 27 appearances. Still, his most notable contribution came in the form of his ability to adapt to the frontline which consisted of megastars like Neymar and Lionel Messi, winning the Champions League as part of the treble in the process.
He topped this remarkable season by scoring a humongous 40 goals and giving 16 assists in 35 appearances in the process, winning the second golden boot of his career and securing the domestic double.
While enjoying a majorly injury-free career, the last two seasons have clearly taken a physical toll on the striker, who is on the last juncture of his career at the age of 33. He has openly spoken about this and publicly stated that Barcelona need to look for a younger player who can replace him in the long run. With Barcelona ready to go a massive squad overhaul this season, that time may be now.
The club has been linked with multiple centre forwards including Lautaro Martinez, Memphis Depay, Maximiliano Gomez, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang among others. Suarez, on the other hand, has been linked with a move away from the Blaugrana, with Juventus front-runners to secure his services
The Bianconeri have reportedly let go of Gonzalo Higuain and Mario Mandzukic and lack a player that can lead the line for the club. For the majority of last season, Paolo Dybala took the responsibility of this role, scoring 11 goals and giving six assists. He was also awarded the Serie A MVP award, given to the best player in the league.
Andrea Pirlo was named the new Juventus head coach after Maurizio Sarri was relieved of his duties following their Champions League exit at the hands of Olympique Lyonnais. During their preseason game against Novara, Pirlo lined up his team in a 3-5-2, featuring Cristiano Ronaldo up top. This system could equally benefit Suarez who boasts of excellent anchor play.
He is, however, reportedly ready to snub Juventus for a possible transfer to Atletico Madrid who are in deep waters with striker problems themselves. Alvaro Morata and Diego Costa were the two players played up top along with one of Marcos Llorente, Joao Felix, or Angel Correa. Neither of them failed to give Atletico a continuous goal boost, with Morata scoring 12, and Costa scoring five.
Suarez could seamlessly fit into Diego Simeone’s 4-4-2 after having played in a similar setup during his time under Ernesto Valverde at Barcelona, and Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool. At is stands, this move could unfold either way, and it will be interesting to see which team El Pistolero chooses.
