Published: 15:06, September 7, 2020 | Updated: 18:04, June 5, 2023
Back to school for Barca's Suarez in bid for Juventus move
By Reuters

In this Aug 14, 2020 photo, Barcelona's Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez kicks the ball during the UEFA Champions League quarter-final football match between Barcelona and Bayern Munich at the Luz stadium in Lisbon. (MANU FERNANDEZ / POOL / AFP)

MILAN - Barcelona forward Luis Suarez is due to sit a language test on Monday in a bid to obtain Italian citizenship that would enable him to move to Serie A champions Juventus, Italian and Uruguayan media said Sunday.

The new Serie A season starts on Sept 19 although the transfer window does not close until Oct 5

There have been widespread reports that Juventus are chasing the 33-year-old Uruguayan who, if the moves go through, would line up alongside defender Giorgio Chiellini, the Italy defender he famously bit in a World Cup match in 2014.

However, Juventus have already used up their limit of two non-EU signings following the arrival of Brazilian midfielder Arthur Melo and US international Weston McKinney and would only be able to add Suarez if he can obtain an EU passport.

ALSO READ: Speculation grows over Suarez's future at Barca

The media reports said that Suarez is eligible for Italian naturalisation as his wife is a citizen of the country, although it was not clear how the process, which usually takes several years, would be completed in one month.

The Uruguayan television programme Polideportivo, as well as several Italian newspapers, said on Sunday that Suarez would take a level B1 Italian test -- regarded as lower intermediate and the minimum level required -- on Monday.

The new Serie A season starts on Sept 19 although the transfer window does not close until Oct 5.