Aston Villa want to sign Luis Suarez on free transfer, out of race for James Tarkowski – report
Aston Villa are exploring the possibility of signing Atletico Madrid striker Luis Suarez on a free transfer, but are out of the race for James Tarkowski.
A fresh report from The Telegraph [May 27] claims that the club are interested in bolstering their attacking department, and manager Steven Gerrard is looking to use his Liverpool connections to convince the legendary Uruguayan to return to the Premier League.
After confirming the signing of defender Diego Carlos on Thursday [May 26], they are also no longer pursuing a deal for Burnley ace James Tarkowski, who will also be a free agent when his contract expires next month.
The club are currently weighing up Suarez’s wage demands and whether he would be able to cope with the physical demands of the Premier League at 35-years-old.
The former Barcelona star is keen to play on for one more season in one of Europe’s top leagues before returning to South America, and a reunion with his former Anfield mates in Gerrard and Philippe Coutinho could be tempting.
Avoid
Avoid, avoid, avoid. This is not a deal that the club should be looking at if they want to continue going forward and make that progression under the new manager.
Suarez is a massive name and would rightly come with high expectations and an incredible winner’s mentality, but realistically it’s not a signing that the club should be prioritising at this point.
Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins have proven themselves in the league and are in their prime years, with Gerrard leaning on them both to work hard and provide for the team.
Suarez would need specialist treatment because of his age and what he can offer, and while he’s definitely score goals because that is what he does, his overall level is not what it was and his wage simply won’t be worthwhile.
There are far more areas of the squad that need addressing as more of a priority, so this is a deal that should be left alone for now at least.
In other Aston Villa news, why Aston Villa must ignore Luis Suarez’s potential free transfer arrival.