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The transfer rumor mill has been swirling following Barcelona's embarrassing defeat to Bayern Munich on Friday, as many of the club's top players have been linked with moves away from the Catalan club.
Lionel Messi has apparently said that he wants to leave the club immediately, while 12 other Barca players are said to have been put on the transfer list.
Luis Suarez has been heavily involved in these transfer rumors, as he has been linked with MLS and the Qatar Stars League. But most intriguingly, Suarez is being pursued by his former club, Ajax.
Opvallend: #Overmars wil stunten met @LuisSuarez9 #Ajaxhttps://t.co/EndJ4vAR30
— Mike Verweij (@MikeVerweij) August 17, 2020
Ajax director of football Marc Overmars is said to be keen to sign the Uruguayan and this interest has been confirmed by a prominent Dutch journalist.
Suarez is nearly nine years removed from his deadline day move from Ajax to Liverpool, a $29 million transfer that was initially overshadowed by the $45 million purchase of Andy Carroll that same day.
Despite missing 17 games this season due to various injuries, Suarez was in fine form on the pitch. He recorded 16 goals and eight assists, both second on the team only to Messi, all in just 22 LaLiga starts.
Yet the 33-year-old has likely played his last match for Barca. The club is reeling from another Champions League debacle and looking for a fresh start. Suarez is an aging player, and his pricey contract will need to be moved in order to sign new talent.
Financially, both MLS and Qatar are logical options for Suarez, but Ajax seems like the perfect fit.
Ajax is celebrated for its world-renowned youth development system, but the club has not shied away from signing veteran players in recent years, especially ones who originally played for the club (and at a discount price).
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar was 33 when Ajax snapped him up on a free transfer from Schalke in 2017, and since then he has bagged 46 goals for the club.
Daley Blind and Dusan Tadic were each nearly 30 when the club took them from the Premier League to the Eredivisie just two weeks apart in July of 2018. Both were key starters on the side that nearly made the Champions League final that season.
The move also fills a glaring need for the Dutch side, as 37-year-old Huntelaar and teenager Lassina Traore are the only natural strikers on the Ajax roster. Tadic often played as a false nine this past season, but he's more comfortable on the wing or as a number ten.
While Suarez is currently valued at $30 million, money is unlikely to be an issue for the Eredivisie club that made a net profit of $162 million in the transfer market last season, not to mention an abundance of Champions League prize money.
As Barcelona is on the verge of entering rebuild mode, it will be fascinating to see if Suarez's departure has a domino effect on the Barca roster.
