Football
Dermot Corrigan, Madrid correspondent 8y

Luis Suarez relaxed about Barcelona contract extension

Barcelona striker Luis Suarez says he is aware of talks over a new contract to extend his stay at Camp Nou, but he is not concerned about his future.

Suarez joined Barca from Liverpool for €80 million in 2014, winning the treble of Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey in his first season, and then scoring 59 goals in all competitions as the team again completed the domestic Spanish double in his second campaign.

It has been suggested that Suarez, 29, and his representatives feel that such performances deserve to be recognised with an extension past his current deal's end point of June 2019, and a salary bump to reflect his vital importance to the side.

Barca's board recently gave a new deal to teammate Neymar, while an improved contract for fellow South American Lionel Messi is also on the cards, and the Uruguay international told a news conference that he was sure that the club "valued" his performances although he was not unhappy with his current situation.

"I still have a contract here," Suarez said. "For what has been said, there were talks, but nobody has told me anything. I know that the club values the performances I am giving. There are more important things."

Suarez's contract situation was brought into sharper focus after an enigmatic tweet from Miquel Sors, who works with Blaugrana midfielder Ivan Rakitic, and said "I believe it's time to go now..." The message coming after Barca had spent a reported €35m to sign midfielder in Andre Gomes from Valencia was interpreted as a hint that the Croatia international was considering his future at the Camp Nou.

Sors works with Rakitic's primary Spain-based agent Arturo Canales, and the tweet could well be an attempt pressure the Barca board into get a pay rise and extension to his current contract which runs until 2019 and has a buyout clause of €100m. Last January the former Sevilla playmaker revealed that he expected a new deal to be agreed soon, but nothing concrete has since taken place, and a scramble among Europe's top clubs would be certain should the 28-year-old go on the market.

Gomes' signing was announced by Barcelona late on Thursday night, but by Friday lunchtime Valencia had not confirmed that they had accepted a deal. This was amid media speculation that the fee had not yet been agreed and two Barca players, reportedly right-back Martin Montoya and winger Cristian Tello, could be included in part-exchange.

Suarez welcomed the arrival of the Portugal international -- saying he had been impressed when facing him during recent seasons.

"Andre Gomes will help us and bring a lot to the team," he said. "At Valencia what most caught your eye was his physical capacity and ability with both feet. He was the player who could most destabilise opponents. We are happy to have players like this in our squad."

Reported Barca target Luciano Vietto, currently at Atletico Madrid and also interesting Sevilla, would be another excellent addition at the Camp Nou, Suarez added.

"[Vietto] is a great player," he said. "I liked him when he played against us. He can hurt defences. He would bring a lot here."

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