Barcelona's Jeffren Suarez on the verge of completing a move to Sporting Lisbon – Report
Sporting Lisbon are reportedly on the brink of completing a transfer of the highly-rated Jeffren Suarez from Barcelona, after fending off competition from several clubs across Europe.
The http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Spain-c3011 U-21 International has had to be content with playing a substitute role at Camp Nou and in order to gain more match minutes, he is looking to sign for the Portuguese giants, Sporting Lisbon.
Venezuelan-born Jeffren has proven to be a class act for the Blaugrana but the lack of game time is the main reason for his departure from Catalonia. The midfielder did not only play a peripheral role at Barca but had to battle with world-class players like
Andre Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Lionel-Messi-c22296 for a place in the starting eleven.
Manager Joseph Guardiola did not risk the youngster in a whole 90-minute match and this restricted him to making only 117 appearances in five seasons at the helm.
While his career had not been successful at domestic level due to stiff competition, Jeffren has been a different player all together while donning La Roja colours.
Playing in the U-21 European championships with Spain, he was a key member of the squad although all the headlines and spotlights were on his prodigious teammate, Thiago Alcantara.
His performances in the prestigious tournament raised a few eyebrows in Europe and seeing that he was unlikely to be a starter at Barca, clubs like Bolton Wanderers, Villarreal and Sevilla were tempted to lodge a bid for the 23-year-old.
English club Bolton went out of contention for Jeffren, when manager Owen Coyle denied that the Lancashire outfit had contacted Barca for a possible move.
"I have not talked to Jeffren or his representatives, so the story makes it out that it's a bit further down the line than it is, but if it isn't going to happen, then we'll move on,” said Coyle.
Wanderers bowed out of the race and the interest of the Spanish clubs faded, paving the way for the Lions to secure the signature of highly-rated forward.
The move is expected to be completed in the upcoming weeks but the transfer fee has not revealed by either club.
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