Luis Suarez set to team up with Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus

Lionel Messi has been in the headlines for the past week due to the speculations about his possible transfer away from FC Barcelona. Both the club and coach want him to stay, but several other players from the club have actually been given the marching orders. His attacking partner, Luis Suarez, has reportedly agreed to a deal with Serie A Champions Juventus FC.

Will Suarez really be joining Cristiano Ronaldo in Turin? BBC Radio 5 Live's Guillem Balague believes this is true. He also says that the move will be on a free transfer or a nominal fee. Despite having agreed to join Juventus, Suarez is believed to still be in the midst of negotiating the exact terms of his release with the Catalan giants.

Just like Messi, the Uruguayan star still has a year left on his existing contract with Barca. While new manager Ronald Koeman has stated that he needs Messi next season, he has not said the same about Suarez. In fact, a whole host of players have reportedly been put up for sale. Ivan Rakitic has already been shipped off to Sevilla, as part of the great Barcelona makeover project.

33-year-old Suarez still has a few obstacles to overcome before making it to Italy. Reportedly, there is an issue about his citizenship. He still holds an Uruguayan passport, and was allowed to play using a European Union slot thanks to his wife's Italian passport. The rules in the Serie A are reportedly different.

Barcelona's attacking trio of Neymar Jr., Messi and Suarez will be fully disbanded if the move to Juventus will materialise. Messi himself had expressed his desire to leave the club, but a 700 million euro release clause is holding him back.

After finishing the 2019-20 season without a trophy, Barcelona is a team in crisis. For a club that is used to massive success, the previous season is considered a disaster. They lost the La Liga title to bitter rivals Real Madrid, and also suffered a humiliating 2-8 defeat in the UEFA Champions League at the hands of Bayern Munich. As such, fans, players and management alike are all looking forward to making drastic changes. It remains to be seen if Suarez will be able to finalise his move to join Cristiano Ronaldo.