Barcelona’s French international defender Eric Abidal will undergo a liver transplant in the coming weeks, which will likely rule him out from the Euro 2012.
The 32-year-old, who signed from Lyon in 2007, underwent surgery in March 2011 to remove a liver tumour.
“During the next few weeks, the player will undergo a liver transplant as a result of the progress of his liver disease,” the club said in a statement on Thursday.
“A transplant was considered an option from the start of his treatment a year ago. At the express wishes of the player, the club asks that the maximum respect for the player’s privacy be observed.”
In January Abidal agreed a new one-year deal with Barcelona which ties him to the club until 2013 with automatic options to extend it by two more years.
His contract had been due to expire at the end of the current campaign.