Players must also respect contracts: Sporting warned over Luis Suárez | OneFootball

The possible transfer of Luis Suárez to Fenerbahçe continues to make headlines. Speaking to Desporto ao Minuto, Rui Barreiro, a former Sporting adviser, appeared calm about the future of the Colombian striker and believes that the SAD led by Frederico Varandas is prepared to defend the Club’s interests, despite Hakan Safi’s recent statements about an alleged agreement with the player.

“Honestly, I don’t think too much importance should be given to this issue. Obviously, there are rules and those rules must be followed. We do not know whether or not the player informed Sporting about these possible contacts,” he began by saying.

Rui Barreiro believes the priority should be to defend Sporting’s sporting and financial interests: “What seems important to me is that Sporting defends the club’s interests. If the figures are close to Suárez’s release clause, it seems to me to be a splendid deal nonetheless,” he said.

Although reports coming from Turkey point to a possible offer in the region of €60 million, the former Sporting adviser recalled: “Anyone who wants to buy has to negotiate with whoever holds the player’s sporting and economic rights, which in this case is Sporting. Regardless of anyone’s wishes, there are contracts and contracts must be honored,” he added.

Rui Barreiro also appeared calm about the future of the Colombian striker and believes the Club will be prepared for any eventuality: “I must admit I don’t think this is a case that should worry the Sporting world too much. Luis Suárez was a good signing for Sporting, he had a great league campaign, and I hope he continues to play for Sporting. If that does not happen, Sporting will certainly look to find alternatives,” he explained.

The former director also stressed that Luis Suárez’s participation in the 2026 World Cup should not create any additional difficulties in talks between clubs, agents, and representatives: “We know that normally it is not the players who deal with these matters, but the agents and those responsible for the business side. The World Cup itself is a shop window, and it is natural for that to happen,” he said.

The possibility that the alleged agreement between the player and Hakan Safi may have arisen without Sporting’s knowledge was also addressed by Rui Barreiro, who recalled the need for all parties to respect the contracts in force: “There are rules, clubs and players know they must follow them, and if they are followed, all is well. If they are not followed, the normal mechanisms should be triggered. If employers respect contracts, players must respect them as well and behave appropriately,” he said.

Finally, Rui Barreiro said he was confident in Sporting’s ability to respond if last season’s top scorer does end up leaving. In his view, the Sporting structure will already have identified alternatives: “Obviously, big teams must always have Plan B and Plan C options to respond to whatever movements happen in the market. I believe Sporting has alternatives lined up and that these matters are safeguarded,” he concluded.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.