Luis Suarez Slammed by Ex-Agent Daniel Fonseca over Unpaid Transfer Fee Claims

Barcelona star Luis Suarez is a liar and has "mental issues," according to his former agent Daniel Fonseca.

The Uruguayan striker recently accused Fonseca of still owing him money in line with his 2006 move from Nacional to Groningen in 2006—20 per cent of his roughly €800,000 transfer fee—per Montecarlo TV (h/t EFE, via AS).

The 46-year-old agent responded in startling fashion, saying Suarez's accusations are false and questioning the former Ajax man's mental state, per Uruguayan radio station 1010 (h/t EFE, via AS): "He is lying, he is a kid with mental issues, everybody knows that. He still sees a psychologist but I don’t think it’s doing any good. He needs to change psychologist or go to a psychiatrist. He counts on his fingers, the kid doesn’t know how to add up."

Fonseca continued with a scathing attack on Suarez's personality in which he called his courage into question and revealed the 29-year-old's "real motive" for making his claims:

"

The whole thing started because I had to tell the kid a very uncomfortable truth when he was playing for the junior national team. Three of his teammates gave me a call and said they were having a tough time with Luis. I had to say something very uncomfortable to the kid, but until the day I die I won’t say what it was. He didn’t take it, it didn’t go down well at all. The coward should tell the truth and not try to smear me by saying I owe him 200,000 euros. Little sod. If he had any courage he’d say what I had to say to him. That’s the real motive why this disgraceful person doesn’t have the courage to talk and has been hiding this for six years.

"

Suarez has often been a divisive figure during his career, and his numerous biting incidents—first at Ajax, then at Liverpool and finally with the Uruguayan national team at the 2014 FIFA World Cup—have earned him a reputation as a somewhat unstable and unpredictable presence.

JAVIER SORIANO/Getty Images

However, his time at Barca has predominantly been defined by a string of extraordinary performances alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar.

Suarez's move to Groningen signalled his arrival in European football. He subsequently moved to Ajax and then Liverpool before joining Barca in 2014, and he has established himself as arguably the best striker in the world.

Along with the accusation of non-payment, Suarez also acknowledged how grateful he was to Fonseca for helping him out in the early part of his career, per the aforementioned report.

The former Napoli, Roma and Juventus forward clearly played a key role in Suarez's formative years, but the relationship between the two Uruguayans has now seemingly soured.

Suarez likely has no desperate need for the money he is owed—given his status at Barca—but there is a matter of principle being argued between him and Fonseca, which looks unlikely to be resolved.