Would A Swap Deal With Barca Suit Liverpool?

At the time of writing, Luis Suarez had yet to cause another storm at the World Cup, so let it just be made clear his actions have no bearing on the content of the following article; that will be dealt with in a separate piece this evening and probably more in the coming days.

For the time being, there are some very strong rumours that Barcelona have emerged as the firm front-runners to sign Luis Suarez this summer in what has now become a confusing and tiring situation for Liverpool fans. Last summer we thought we’d all but lost him, then he was put firmly in his place by a strong manager with the full backing of his employers: something which is a rarity in football these days.

Then, following a superb start (yes, following his ban), Liverpool managed to tie him down to a very lucrative contract for him and, potentially, for the club should he leave in the future. By the end of the season, Suarez had almost helped Liverpool to the Premier League title, had cleaned up during the end-of-season awards and strode off to the World Cup with the world at his feet and many a Liverpool’s fans loyalties firmly behind him.

So the rumours that Barcelona have made him a target are disheartening. What’s more disappointing is that Suarez may also be open to a move, considering his wife’s family are based in Barcelona. Even as early as yesterday morning, Suarez’s father-in-law was quoted as saying ‘In Liverpool he is very loved and respected, so he would not go to another English team out of respect for the fans. We would like him here, to have the grandkids here in Spain. I am convinced he would do well if he came here.’

Not really a great deal to go on from his wife’s old man, but nevertheless, it would seem that the propaganda machine is well and truly starting to turn the cogs and creak into action.

While we know that contracts are worth about as much as the paper they’re written on these days, many would’ve hoped that the increased ‘package’, the target of Champions League football attained, the Premier League title challenge and the love and adulation of millions of fans the world over would be enough to keep Suarez happy for another season or two, at least. Many still feel he ‘owes us’, in many way, after his well-publicized on-field indiscretions but whatever you think, there were always going to be rumours this summer, particularly with him likely to star at the World Cup (though, that may not be the case now).

Whether you believe what you hear or read, the talk of a swap offer plus cash for Suarez has certainly made a lot of news. The question is, how would Liverpool fans feel about that?

If Barcelona were to offer Liverpool £55-60 million PLUS Alexis Sanchez or Pedro, would that be too tantalizing to pass up? There’s no replacing Luis Suarez, that must be made very clear. At present, he is in a tier all of his own, narrowly behind Messi and Ronaldo but had he played at a more illustrious club for a few more years he’d surely be perceived as being at least on par with the pair.

However, given that we’re all but certain to lose Suarez at some point, and given the very critical situation Liverpool are in this summer, in terms of capitalizing on last season’s immense progress, the question remains about whether keeping Suarez and using our limited funds to build around him, or letting Suarez go, bringing in a top-class player and added a huge amount of extra funds to build around his absence would be the better move.

We all saw how Spurs made such a mess of that last summer, but Bale isn’t close to Suarez, in terms of quality of player, and Tottenham are well know for their mistakes in the transfer market while, despite Brendan’s transfer dealings having been quite hit and miss since he took over, you get the distinct feeling that he is fully aware of how important getting it right is this summer and with some of the players we’re reportedly after you can probably put your faith in him to be picking out the right targets.

But money isn’t everything, and a player like Suarez doesn’t come along more than once in a life-time, which means there is probably no easy answer to the question without the benefit of hindsight.

The events of last night will no doubt have muddied the waters somewhat, but if Liverpool were offered such a swap deal right now, how easy would it be to turn it down? Let us know your thoughts below.