Reports: Lionel Messi urged Barcelona not to sell their talisman

What's the rumour?

According to Diario Gol, Barcelona were reportedly toying with the idea of jettisoning Luis Suarez this past summer, but once Lionel Messi got wise to the news, he immediately scuppered the club's plans by preventing them from ditching the Uruguayan international.

In case you didn't know...

Luis Suarez joined La Blaugrana back in 2014 after bidding adieu to Liverpool, where he spent 4 seasons. Since then, the 31-year-old has been a permanent fixture in the Catalan giants' starting lineup, and has also inspired them to 1 UEFA Champions League, 3 LaLiga and 4 Copa del Rey titles over the course of his stint at Camp Nou.

Last season, although some claimed that his age was catching up to him, he still notched up 31 goals and engineered 18 assists across all competitions, which are some staggering numbers for a player 'on the decline'.

The heart of the matter

As it stands, Lionel Messi's move turned out to be a shrewd one as Suarez has already managed two goals and as many assists in his first three LaLiga games for Barca.

Nevertheless, in all fairness to Barcelona's top brass, the erstwhile Ajax ace will turn 32 in a few months, an age when innumerable footballers enter the twilight of their career. Consequently, the LaLiga champions wished to cash in on him, and make hay while the sun shines.

As per reports, they have even identified his replacement in the form of Tottenham's Harry Kane.

Rumour probability/rating: 4/10

Although the friendly bond between Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez is quite well known, the aforementioned source makes the news iffy.

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What's next?

The summer transfer window has already slammed shut, which means that if Barcelona's boardroom is still keen on offloading Suarez, it will have to wait until January.

Do you reckon Barcelona will sell Suarez in the coming months? Have your say in the comments.