River Plate president Jorge Pablo Brito has confirmed that he has been in contact with Aston Villa target Luis Suarez, with star striker Julian Alvarez set to return to Manchester City.
Speaking to the press via Fabrizio Romano, the Argentine footballing official announced that the South American giants have reached out the former Atletico Madrid striker over a potential transfer, with Suarez currently a free agent after leaving the La Liga side at the end of last season.
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River Plate are not the only side interested in Suarez, though, with Villa reportedly chasing the former FC Barcelona and Liverpool striker, with Steven Gerrard keen to add his former teammate to the Villains squad this summer following the arrivals of Boubacar Kamara, Douglas Carlos and the permanent signing of Philippe Coutinho.
Despite turning 35-years-old at the start of the year, Suarez has proven age is just a number for the Uruguayan striker, and now according to Brito, River Plate are well in the race for the attacker, with the club president saying when asked on if he had spoken to the attacker: “Yes, we have contacted Luis Suarez but it’s now only up to him.”
With La Liga and MLS sides also reportedly chasing in Suarez, the veteran attacker has plenty of options to choose from this summer, and for Villa, signing the striker would be an incredible coup for Gerrard’s side, especially with the Premier League side eager to add more firepower to their forward line.
However, River Plate could pose Villa’s biggest threat to signing Suarez so far, with a return to South America ahead of a World Cup year a tempting proposition for the attacker if he is to stay fit for the competition in Qatar.
Villa could miss out on Suarez signing to River Plate
With Alvarez set to replace Gabriel Jesus in the Manchester City squad next season, River Plate need a new striker to lead the line for the remainder of the year, and Suarez makes plenty of sense given his free-agent status and need to play regular football ahead of the World Cup.
And it is because of this that Villa could now miss out on the Uruguayan attacker, who would have been a sensational addition for Gerrard’s side in what could be an exciting season for the Premier League club.
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