What Luis Suarez Said When Barcelona Asked Him To Return This Summer [Details]

FC Barcelona have reportedly approached Luis Suarez as a backup option if they failed to sign Robert Lewandowski this summer.

As soon as it was announced that Atletico Madrid were not renewing Suarez's contract, Barcelona got in touch with the Uruguyan striker over a possible return to Camp Nou this summer. But the Catalans informed Suarez that he would only be considered if they failed to land Lewandowski, who remains their top target, reported The Sport.

Barcelona asked Suarez to wait until August before deciding on his next move. However, the former Barcelona star decided against it as he already has a number of offers on his plate. The likes of Sevilla, Villarreal and Argentina's River Plate are after his signatures.

The Catalans have already made their first official bid for Bayern Munich's Lewandowski, according to ESPN. Bayern want more than $42 million for the Polish striker, who is now determined to leave Allianz Arena, but Barcelona's opening bid is not believed to be that high.

It has been reported that after Bayern turned down their first bid, Barcelona are preparing to return with a much higher offer as boss Xavi Hernandez is desperate to secure Lewandowski ahead of the 2022-23 season.

Lewandowski has a year left on his contract with Bayern Munich and the Bundesliga champions have repeatedly claimed the star forward will see out his contract.

"The situation hasn't changed. Robert has a contract with us for another year and we expect to see him on the first day of pre-season in July," Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn said at Sadio Mane's presentation Wednesday.

Suarez established himself as one of Barcelona's regulars during his six-season stint at Camp Nou. He parted ways with the club in the summer of 2020 when Ronald Koeman took charge. One of the first things the Dutchman did was inform Suarez he was no longer needed at Barcelona.

The 35-year-old then joined Barcelona's rivals Atletico Madrid and helped them win the La Liga title, which was their first league victory in seven years.

In the last three years, Barcelona have won just one title, the Copa del Rey in the 2020-21 season. Their last La Liga victory came in the 2018-19 campaign.