5 Players Liverpool Should Sign To Replace Luis Suarez

As a Barcelona exit seems to be looming for the controversial Uruguayan, Brendan Rodgers should start his search here for a new striker.

Mike Egerton/PA Archive/Press Association ImagesMike Egerton/PA Archive/Press Association ImagesLuis Suarez€™s exit from Liverpool appears to be moving ever closer. Barcelona are seen as the frontrunners for his signature with numerous national newspapers claiming that the striker is the Catalan club€™s top transfer target. After biting Giorgio Chiellini in Uruguay€™s final World Cup group game, Suarez was handed a four-month ban from all football related activity. It means he cannot play, train or even step foot in a stadium. However this has clearly not deterred potential buyers. A transfer fee of £80 million has been reported by The Daily Mail, while others believe that Barcelona are looking to pay half that amount but with the makeweight of Alexis Sanchez. Either way, Suarez€™s actions have had little effect on his price tag. Suarez has now also apologised for the biting of Chiellini, an act Barcelona would have undoubtedly been eager for him to do. Although they want the Uruguayan despite his obvious baggage, indeed he has been banned for 34 games since 2010 without receiving a red card, the fact that he has admitted he was wrong will be pleasing to those at boardroom level in Barcelona. Liverpool€™s willingness to sell seems to be caused by the club running out of patience. After supporting Suarez through a race row with Patrice Evra and the biting of Chelsea€™s Branislav Ivanovic, the Premier League runners-up have clearly had enough after this latest scandal. Few can argue against Liverpool selling Suarez for this reason, but it does not make replacing him any easier. The 27-year-old scored 31 goals in 33 league games last season, a feat that will take some repeating by whoever Brendan Rodgers brings in.
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Simon is an NCTJ qualified sports journalist. He has conducted interviews with Tony Adams and Peter Shilton, while also having work published in The Daily Telegraph and The Sun. Follow him on Twitter via @sr_collings.