Barcelona have softened their stance on Denis Suarez, reopening the possibility of Arsenal signing the midfielder on loan this month.
Suarez was first offered to the Gunners back in December, as revealed by The Independent , and became enthused about the prospect of a reunion with Unai Emery after Arsenal began to show concrete interest in bringing him to London.
Arsenal’s interest was only ever in a loan move with an option to buy in the summer. Short on transfer funds this month, they are interested in Suarez for the versatility he would bring to their midfield and his potential to improve further. While he is 25 years old, Suarez has only really had three full first-team campaigns where he has featured in the majority of games – one of those coming under Emery’s orders at Sevilla.
Last week the chances of Suarez moving to Arsenal were damaged by the entrance into the market of Sevilla, who were willing to buy him outright. Barcelona preferred the option of cutting ties with Suarez, and were only willing to countenance a loan deal if Suarez signed a contract extension at the Nou Camp first.
While it was clearly a case of Barca protecting their own interests with regards to the player’s expiring contract, Suarez was unwilling to extend his stay at the club for fear of it damaging his ability to secure a Bosman if things didn’t work out in London, and sources close to the player say he had got used to the idea of seeing out the second half of the season as a substitute.