Luis Suarez has urged Barcelona teammate Pedro Rodriguez to snub a move away from Camp Nou to the Premier League and stay put at the club, despite being heavily linked with Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea.
Leading British newspaper, The Telegraph, reported on Tuesday that Louis van Gaal is ready to meet Spaniard’s £22m release clause in order to beat the Blues and the Merseysiders for his signature.
The 27-year-old forward previously acknowledged the possibility of a move away from Catalan side after finding his game time substantially reduced due to stiff competition created by the presence of Suarez, Neymar and Lionel Messi in the line-up.
“It’s true, we agreed to reduce the value of the buyout clause and it’s true there are offers,” he recently said, as quoted by Sky Sports.
Suarez, the former Liverpool legend has now urged the Spain international to rebuff all the offers coming from highly rated English clubs to remain associated with Champions League winners.
“I want Pedro to stay at Barcelona because he is a fantastic teammate and he gives a lot to the team,” Suarez said during a press conference, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo.
Barcelona boss Luis Enrique also hoped that the prized forward would stay, admitting in the same vein that it will not be possible for him to obstruct the move, should any club meets his buy-out clause.
Pedro signed a renewed contract with Barcelona last month that runs until 2019 and includes a €150m buyout clause, which has now been reduced significantly to €30m.
The winner of World Cup and European Championship with his national side admitted that he was in “a difficult situation” at the Camp Nou despite a Treble-winning 2014-15 campaign.
