Liverpool Lawyers Fly To Barcelona For Crunch Talks Over Banned Suarez

As we approach the opening of the summer window clubs will be intensifying their efforts in the transfer market so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip. Today, the latest on Luis Suarez….

Liverpool are sending a team of lawyers over to Barcelona today for crunch talks with the agent and lawyer of Luis Suarez after the striker was slapped with a four-month worldwide ban from football by FIFA yesterday, according to reports.

Football’s governing body imposed sanctions on the 27-year-old on Thursday after his bite on Italy defender Georgio Chiellini during Tuesday’s World Cup clash, and as well as being suspended for 9 international’s game, Liverpool’s preparations for the new season have been devastated after Suarez was also hit with a four month ban from all football activity.

It means the striker will be unable to train with his team mates or even attend matches, and Brendan Rodgers is facign up to the possibility of being without his star man for at least 12 games – including nine Premier League matches, three Champions League games as well as a potential League Cup match – but FIFA have confirmed it does not prevent him from being transferred this summer.

The Guardian newspaper claim Liverpool are taking specialist legal advice before deciding their next move, but the player’s lawyer, Alejandro Balbi, has revealed that he is set to meet with the clubs representatives in Barcelona today. Intriguingly, when quizzed by reporters about a possible move to Barcelona this summer, Balbi claims that the strikers agent, Pere Guardiola, will also be present at the meeting in Barca today.

Speaking last night, Balbi said:

“Tomorrow we will meet in Barcelona with Liverpool’s lawyers,”

“Tomorrow we will talk with Pere Guardiola,” Balbi is quoted as saying by the Guardian

It seems it’s going to be a key day in the future of Luis Suarez as his lawyer, agent and club decide where best to go from here. Liverpool are quite rightly taking their time and assessing all options before making any decision, but the Uruguayan FA have already confirmed they will be lodging an appeal for a ban that they feel is ‘extremely excessive’.

The Uruguay federation president, Wilmar Valdez, said:

“We are preparing our appeal now, we have three days to do it. It’s an extremely excessive punishment, there was not enough evidence and I have seen more aggressive incidents recently.

“It’s feels like Uruguay has been thrown out of the World Cup. We all know what Suárez means to Uruguay and to football around the world – not having Suárez would be a loss to any team.” Valdez is quoted as saying by the Guardian

Frustratingly for Liverpool, they have no right to appeal so will have to sit back and see how things unfold once Uruguay put forward their defence. While nobody can argue that Suarez deserves to be punished for his latest act of cannibalism, it does seem strange that Liverpool have no right to appeal against a decision that affects them more than Uruguay.

It’s going to be a hectic few days for Liverpool chiefs as they try to decide how to deal with another saga involving Suarez, and after all the trouble he’s caused the club over the years, you wouldn’t blame them if they decided now was the time to cash-in on the troubled superstar.