TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Rumor
Barcelona star Luis Suarez wants to come to MLS and it’s only a matter of time before he’s playing in the league, according to his Uruguay national team colleague Nico Lodeiro.
“I think you need to convince Barcelona. He wants to come to MLS,” Lodeiro told MLSsoccer.com on Thursday while preparing to lead Seattle Sounders in Sunday’s MLS Cup Final against Toronto FC at a sold-out CenturyLink Field (3 pm ET | ABC, Univision, TUDN, TSN, TVAS). “He is always asking me about the league. His dream was to play for Barcelona. He’s playing at a great level and he feels comfortable there."
Suarez has long been the subject of rumors linking him with a move to MLS and Lodeiro has made no secret of his desire to bring his compatriot to the league. While on international duty together in 2017, Lodeiro even presented Suarez with a Seattle Sounders jersey, joking that his teammate would be joining him in the Pacific Northwest.
“Sooner or later he’ll come to MLS. Well, hopefully,” Lodeiro added Thursday. “He likes the league. He’s always asking me things about it. Hopefully he can also play for Seattle Sounders. It may be a more difficult task. I think it’s only a matter of time before he’s out here.”
Suarez, 32, has scored 137 goals in 172 La Liga appearances since joining Barcelona from Liverpool in 2014. Lodeiro, meanwhile, has been a revelation since joining Seattle in 2016. The playmaker has inspired the Sounders to three MLS Cup finals in four years, including winning the title in 2016.
And Suarez can take a small part of the credit for Lodeiro's success. With Lodeiro struggling to communicate with Sounders General Manager Garth Lagerwey while negotiating his transfer during an international camp, Suarez took the phone and acted as translator.
“He told me maybe he comes in seven years,” Lagerwey said jokingly. “That was his quote, so maybe that’s when his contract runs out...I told him we’d love to have him whenever he’s ready.”
