Barcelona Transfer News: Luis Suarez Labelled Indispensable, Latest Rumours

Barcelona manager Luis Enrique has heaped praise on star striker Luis Suarez following his hat-trick against Eibar on Sunday, calling the Uruguay international “irreplaceable” amid rumours the club could be forced into a number of sales in order to balance the books.

Suarez was fantastic on Sunday, scoring three goals to lead the Catalans to a comeback win over Eibar, and afterwards, Enrique took the time to praise the forward.

As reported by ESPN FC, he said: “Luis Suarez brings us a lot. What he gives you is priceless and unquestionable. He has that power in the area and is irreplaceable. What I like about my team is that we can overcome any situation.”

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Suarez made his Barcelona debut just over one year ago, and Sunday's match was effectively his anniversary. Scoring a hat-trick on such an occasion is special, but Suarez tried to downplay his achievement, per ESPN FC: "It's a special hat trick, coming one year after my debut. The end result is that we won a game we were losing. We're already thinking about the next [game]."

The 28-year-old joined the Blaugrana from Liverpool during the summer of 2014 but had to sit out the first couple of months due to a suspension following the infamous biting incident with Juventus' Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup.

After an initial adjustment period, the forward found his feet and powered the Blaugrana to the treble, playing alongside Neymar and Lionel Messi. Following the latter's injury, Suarez has now emerged as a real leader for the club, per MailOnline's Pete Jenson:

"

It’s an important quality to know when to lead and when to follow. In the first 11 months of his playing career at Barcelona he has happily worked in the shadows accepting that Messi must stay in the spotlight for the good of the team. But with his team-mate sidelined still nursing a ligament injury in his left knee he has taken the added responsibilities on the pitch… and off it too driving his team-mate to the training ground each morning.

"

Suarez, Neymar and Messi have quickly become the deadliest attacking trident in all of football, and as long as neither openly states he wishes to leave the club, they'll be untouchable when it comes to the transfer market.

Enrique's comments on Sunday made that very clear, amid rumours the club may be forced to sell a number of players to remain financially healthy.

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Per the Catalans' official website, vice-president for the Economic Area, Susana Monje, recently released very positive revenue numbers, but former president Joan Laporta claims the Blaugrana are lying about their financial state.

Speaking to Mundo Deportivo (h/t Daily Express' Joe Short), Laporta claims the sales of the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Pedro and Gerard Deulofeu were made out of necessity, and more will follow:

"

[Josep Maria] Bartomeu is a compulsive liar. We have a debt three times higher than our profits.

The president will be forced to balance the books, and I'm afraid it is necessary for a new beginning.

Alexis Sanchez, Pedro, Deulofeu… this was the first wave. Other players will have to leave to balance the books.

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Barcelona are expected to invest in new players, rather than sell in January, with the club's transfer embargo now lifted. Monje is adamant the Catalans will work hard to bring in new players, but Laporta clearly disagrees with her vision on the team's finances.

Monje openly acknowledged the club still has significant debts, urging some prudence in the transfer market, and with construction of the Espai Barca, the new stadium, on the horizon, the next couple of years will be vital for the club from a financial perspective.

Whether that will lead to more sales or not remains to be seen, but even if it does, it's hard to see any scenario in which Suarez would be among the players to leave the club.

He's vital to the team's on-pitch performance and just joined the Blaugrana for a massive transfer fee, and given his age, his value on the open market will start to drop in the coming years.

In all likelihood, Suarez will stay with the club for a very long time.

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