LISBON, PORTUGAL – AUGUST 14: Luis Suarez of FC Barcelona celebrates after scoring his team’s second … [+]
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Atletico Madrid have reached an agreement with Luis Suarez in order to sign the striker from FC Barcelona, a report claims.
According to Mundo Deportivo on Monday morning in Spain, the Uruguayan has been offered a two-year deal past his 35th birthday, though Atleti must now focus on offloading Diego Costa.
Currently receiving €8mn per year, outfits such as Fenerbahçe are rumored to be interested in the Brazil-born former Spain international, but have not been forthcoming with a concrete offer as of yet.
Last appearing for the Blaugrana in the 8-2 destruction at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals last month, Suarez was told upon the appointment of new coach Ronald Koeman that he does not feature in the Dutchman’s plans for the upcoming 2020/2021 season.
Omitted from matchday squads for three recent preseason friendlies against Gimnastic, Girona and Elche in the Joan Gamper trophy on Saturday, Suarez has flirted with a move to Juventus and even went to the lengths of taking an Italian language test to gain citizenship.
With the Old Lady on the verge of signing Edin Dzeko from Roma instead, however, there is every risk that Suarez, their third all-time top scorer, will still be on the Catalans’ books if a suitor is not found to beat the October 5 transfer deadline.
Believed to earn north of €20mn per season, Suarez being moved on would also be a lot healthier for Barça’s accounting given that they have lost €300mn during the coronavirus pandemic and the three-month pause it imposed on European top flight soccer.
Ivan Rakitic has already been shifted from the payroll and moved back to former club Sevilla, while Arturo Vidal is expected to be unveiled as a new Inter Milan midfielder any time soon after hashing out terms with Antonio Conte’s men and bidding farewell to his teammates.
As a means of seeing Suarez out of the Camp Nou, it has been written that FCB will offer part of the earnings he would receive this season, while mindful that if he plays 60% of the total fixtures scheduled for the upcoming campaign an automatic one-year extension to his contract is guaranteed.
Now that Atleti have managed to reach an agreement with El Pistolero, though, the ball is now in Barça’s court to get the deal over the line with both the player and his potential future employers.
