Barcelona confirm Suarez purchase

adamhigginsuk
Jul 11, 2014
4 min read

Unfamiliar switch: Suarez becomes the first Liverpool player to join Barcelona since Javier Mascherano since 2010 (Picture from Flickr. com)

BARCELONA have completed the £75 million signing of Liverpool striker Luis Suarez on a five-year deal.

Suarez is set to travel to Spain next week for a medical before an official unveiling on Wednesday but, under the terms of his current four-month ban, cannot be presented at the Nou Camp.

The 27-year-old was the Premier League's top scorer last season with 31 goals in 33 appearances as he scooped the prestigious PFA and Football Writers' Association Player of the Year awards.

"I leave with a heavy heart. Me and my family have fallen in love with this club, and most of all with the incredible fans," the Uruguayan striker said.

"I hope you can all understand why I have made this decision. This club did all they could to get me to stay, but playing in Spain, where my wife's family live, is a lifelong dream and ambition. I believe now the timing is right.

"Thank you again for some great moments and memories. You'll Never Walk Alone."

SUAREZ IN PREMIER LEAGUE:

2010/11: 13 games, four goals

2011/12: 31 games, 11 goals

2012/13: 33 games, 23 goals

2013/14: 33 games, 31 goals

He will be banned from "all football-related activity" for the first 13 games of the 2014-15 season after biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup - which includes entering any stadium - while his appeal was disregarded by world governing body Fifa.

"We would like to thank Luis for his contribution and the role he played in helping bring Champions League football back to Anfield," a Liverpool statement read.

"Everyone at Liverpool Football Club wishes Luis and his family well for the future."

Suarez scored 82 goals in 133 Liverpool appearances since arriving from Ajax for £22.7 million in January 2011 but served two bans during his sensational but controversial time at Anfield.

He was given an eight-game suspension in the 2011-12 season for racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra before a second biting attack of his career on Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic in April 2013.

But despite the turbulent times and moments of madness, he will be remembered for his remarkable goalscoring feats by the Liverpool fans that cherished his supreme talent.

Reds skipper Steven Gerrard, who led an unlikely Premier League title surge along with Suarez last term, paid an emotional tribute to his departing team-mate on his official Instagram account.

"On an emotional day for me would just like to say what a pleasure it has been playing with an amazing talent such as Luis," he told his 675,000 followers on the social networking site.

"I would like to thank him for his outstanding contribution on the pitch during his time @liverpoolfc and to wish him and his family all the best on his new adventure in Spain. #lfclegend."

Boss Brendan Rodgers expressed his sadness over Suarez's departure and affirmed that both the club and player have benefitted from his three-and-a-half year stay on Merseyside.

"Luis is a very special talent and I thank him for the role he has played in the team over the past two years during my time at Liverpool," the Irishman said.

"I think he would be the first to accept he has improved as a player over that period along with the team and has benefitted from being here as we have benefitted from him.

"The club have done all they can over a sustained period of time to try and keep Luis at Liverpool but it is with great reluctance that following lengthy discussions we have eventually agreed to his wishes to move to Spain.

"We wish him and his young family well and will always consider them friends."

Luis Suarez holds the Premier League ball for Liverpool.jpg

Change of heart: Suarez, who only signed a new four-year contract at Liverpool in December, has decided to end his Premier League adventure to embark on a career move to Spain (Picture by Akshay Ron from Facebook)

Suarez - whose buy-out clause at the Catalan giants will be £100 million - will wear the number nine shirt, following in the footsteps of Ronaldo, Samuel Eto'o and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in recent times.

Barcelona are permitted to buy and sell players during the summer transfer window after Fifa suspended their 14-month ban after breaching rules on signing international players under the age of 18.

The £75m deal is set to become the third biggest in football history after Gareth Bale's £86 million move from Tottenham to Real Madrid last summer and Cristiano Ronaldo's switch to the Bernabeu in 2009 for £80 million from Manchester United.

Newcastle frontman Loic Remy, Swansea's top scorer Wilfried Bony and Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema have all been mentioned as Liverpool begin the search for a replacement but their top priority Alexis Sanchez joined Arsenal on Thursday.