Barcelona: Barcelona striker Luis Suarez has hit back at comments by the club’s CEO that the Catalan giants won’t “go crazy” when negotiating a new contract for five-time World Player of the Year Lionel Messi.
Barca CEO Oscar Grau said on Wednesday that a new deal for Messi, who has 18 months left on his current deal, was being negotiated with “common sense and discretion.”
“With Messi what you have to do is give him a new contract, not have common sense,” said Suarez after netting his 100th Barca goal in just 120 appearances as they progressed to the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey with a 3-1 win over Athletic Bilbao.
Despite posting a record turnover of 679 million euros (Dh2.6 billion) last season, a series of expensive new contracts for the likes of Neymar and Suarez mean Barcelona are close to overstepping the 70 per cent limit of turnover spent on salaries imposed by Uefa’s financial fair-play laws.
Barca captain Andres Iniesta also has just 18 months left to run on his contract.
On the field, Messi proved the match-winner once again on Wednesday as he scored from a free-kick for the third time in as many games this year 11 minutes from time to edge out Bilbao 4-3 on aggregate.
“I don’t know what the CEO said, but tell me one game in which Leo Messi hasn’t been decisive,” said Barca coach Luis Enrique.
“I don’t know about numbers, I know about football. We all want to enjoy watching Messi here for many more years, nothing else matters for me.”
Suarez and Neymar’s penalty cancelled out Athletic’s 2-1 first leg lead, but Enric Saborit’s header six minutes into the second-half had the tie headed for extra time.
However, just as in the first leg and in a 1-1 draw at Villarreal on Sunday, Messi rode to Barca’s rescue with another exquisite free-kick that clipped the inside of the post on its way past Gorka Iraizoz.
“There is a reason why Messi is the best in the world,” Suarez told Barca TV. “He surprises you with something beautiful in every game.”
Barca were under huge pressure to deliver their first win of the year as the slip-up at Villarreal left them five points adrift of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga, who also have a game in hand.
“It is important for our confidence. We wanted and needed a result like that,” added Suarez. “We are calm, working hard and know that the results will come.”
“I am very satisfied,” added Barca boss Enrique. “We controlled the game at every moment.”
