<
>

Luis Suarez deal within Barca budget

play
Barcelona fans discuss potential Suarez signing (0:50)

Luis Suarez exited the World Cup with his reputation once again in tatters, but despite the Uruguayan's behaviour on the pitch he is still linked to a move to Barcelona. (0:50)

Barcelona vice-president Javier Faus says there is money available to sign whichever players the club wants, as speculation continues that Liverpool's Luis Suarez is bound for the Camp Nou despite being currently banned from all football for four months.

- Hunter: Hidden agenda in Suarez apology?
- Tomas: Barca have holes Suarez can't fill

In what has already been a busy summer for Barca, the club have spent around 40 million euros on midfielder Ivan Rakitic and goalkeepers Marc-Andre Ter Stegen and Claudio Bravo, while raising about 32 million euros by selling Cesc Fabregas to Chelsea.

The Catalan club have also been heavily linked with further big money moves for Napoli's Gonzalo Higuain and Fiorentina's Juan Cuadrado, while many fans and pundits assume that a centre-half will also arrive given Carles Puyol's retirement.

However Suarez appears to be the No. 1 target -- with both Catalan dailies Mundo Deportivo and Sport featuring the player on their covers on Tuesday morning, amid claims that the 27-year-old's apology for biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini now makes the move more likely to happen.

Speaking at a partial presentation of the club's latest accounts, Faus told Mundo Deportivo that Barca, despite having debts of over 300 million euros, will be going ahead with a 600 million rebuild of the Camp Nou, and insisted that the club is financially secure enough to sign any players requested by coach Luis Enrique and sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta.

"Barca, luckily, has been profitable for three years now," Faus said. "The club has an important and positive EBITDA [earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation]. We have reduced the debt and we are in a much stronger financial position than two or four years ago. We can take on all the sporting challenges which our coaches and technical department ask of us.

"On around July 20, after the accounts are audited, we will have an exact picture of Barca. Then we will know the financial health of the club, and the debt, which was at 430 million euros when this board arrived at the club. However the squad planning does not depend on the accounts."

Blaugrana president Josep Maria Bartomeu also told the paper that further news about the club's transfer plans would be made public soon.

"The sporting project continues to move forward," Bartomeu said. "On Wednesday we will speak about sporting matters."