Cape Times

Suarez will be a ‘great Christmas present’ for Barca fans

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BARCELONA: Barcelona’s prolific striker Luis Suarez will be offered a new contract with the Spanish champions until 2022, president Josep Maria Bartomeu announced yesterday.

The 29-year-old Uruguayan collected the European Golden Shoe last season for the top scorer in domestic football in Europe with 40 league goals, helping Barca’s famed “MSN” trio also containing Messi and Brazilian forward Neymar score a record 131 goals in all competitio­ns.

“Suarez is going to get a renewed contract very soon, it’s done, just a few small details need to be sorted and we’ll announce it in the next few days or weeks,” Bartomeu said.

“It will be a great Christmas present, not necessaril­y for Luis as he already knows he’s going to continue here, but for football fans. For us he is an important character, he forms part of this spectacula­r trident we have, which helps the entire team function.”

Suarez has won eight trophies since joining Barcelona from Liverpool in 2014, including two La Liga titles, two King’s Cups and the Champions League. He is the club’s joint top scorer in the league this season alongside Messi with nine goals.

Bartomeu added: “”We want (his contract) to be even longer, but for the moment he will sign until 2022. You have to adapt to the rules, which have a maximum contract length.

“We want Luis Suarez to stay at the club for many more years. And when he retires, he will always be welcomed back at Barcelona.”

His club are aiming for a first win in four league games, at strugglers Osasuna tomorrow, after thrashing Borussia Moenchengl­adbach 4-0 in the Champions League in midweek.

Consecutiv­e draws with Malaga, Real Sociedad and Real Madrid leave Barca six points behind Zinedine Zidane’s La Liga table toppers but Saturday’s early game gives them a chance to put pressure on their rivals, who host Deportivo La Coruna later tomorrow.

Against Deportivo, Real can set a club record of 35 games unbeaten.

Real will fly out to Japan for the Fifa Club World Cup after playing Deportivo, meaning Barca will play one more game than their rivals before the winter break. – Reuters

 ??  ?? LUIS SUAREZ: Eight trophies so far ...
LUIS SUAREZ: Eight trophies so far ...

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