Juventus director delivers final verdict on potential Suarez transfer

Juventus were interested in signing Luis Suarez but have now put an end to the pursuit due to a transfer complication, says Fabio Paratici.

A number of high-profile clubs are said to be on the lookout for Luis Suarez ever since he was supposedly deemed surplus to requirements at FC Barcelona.

Juventus, who are understood to be actively looking for a strike partner for Cristiano Ronaldo, are the most strongly linked side with the capture of the Uruguayan striker.

Reports from Italy even revealed that the Barca outcast had accepted personal terms for a €10 million contract and that the Italian champions were close to finalizing the transfer.

The former Liverpool and Ajax man had also started the process of obtaining an Italian passport, an issue that was initially acting as a stumbling block in getting the deal over the line.

The same issue has now brought the collapse of the transfer as sporting director Fabio Paratici confirms Suarez is no longer an option for Juve.

“Suarez can be removed from that list, because the time it takes to get the passport is longer than the transfer deadline or the moment we can hand in the Champions League lists,” Paratici told Sky Sports.

“We evaluated the Suarez option when it was proposed to us. He was in the process of getting Italian citizenship, so we evaluated the possibility of registering him in time.”

“It is not possible, so he was never really close.”