Player was ‘able to leave’ Barcelona in summer, but ‘unprecedented’ demand blocked his exit

An injury in Barcelona’s first pre-season fixture against Tottenham Hotspur in July forced Denis Suarez to leave the United States and return to Spain for treatment.

The Spaniard regained full fitness in mid September, but is yet to feature for the La Liga winners this season as he watched his side’s 2-0 win over Inter Milan from the stands.

Despite the injury setback, Thursday’s edition of Catalan newspaper Mundo Deportivo reports that he was attracting interest from AC Milan and Napoli in the summer.

Journalist Miguel Rico claims the former Villarreal man was ‘able to leave’ the Camp Nou in the summer transfer window, but the deal didn’t take shape because of his employer.

It’s claimed the Blaugrana asked for an ‘unprecedented’ fee of €40m to part ways with their player and their demands put off both the Serie A clubs. Suarez’s contract expires in 2020, with the club having an option to further extend it by a year. 

Based on the current situation, it is unlikely for the midfielder to get ahead of Arthur, Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic, Rafinha and Arturo Vidal and this is why he could leave the club before his current deal runs out.