Luis Suarez is inching closer to leaving Barcelona this summer. The Barca star is tipped to join another La Liga club and reports indicated he has won the approval of Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu. If the deal is finalized in the next few days, the Uruguayan striker will be wearing Atletico Madrid's shirt next.
Suarez has reportedly sealed a deal with Bartomeu that will pave the way for his exit from Camp Nou to join Atletico. The news contradicted the earlier stance by the club chief, who insisted that he will not give the clearance for the agreement.
However, talks between Suarez and Bartomeu appeared to have convinced the latter to release the striker, who was declared surplus to requirements by new Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman. Goal said the Barca president will terminate Suarez's contract, which is set to expire next summer.
A settlement will be awarded to Suarez, who will be ending his six-season spell at Catalonia as one of the club's top scorers. The 33-year-old is expected to collect a sizeable sum once his Barcelona contract is terminated but it's unclear if a compromise between the parties has been reached.
In any case, Suarez will make the jump to Madrid on an £8 million per year deal from Diego Simeone's side. He is expected to stay with the club for at least two years and his payment package includes incentives over the course of his deal.
Per the same report, Suarez is ready to suit up for Atletico's first La Liga match on Sunday provided he is given the medical clearance. The striker will reportedly travel to Madrid in the next few days for his physical examination.
Following the hiring of Koeman as new Barcelona boss in late August, Suarez was informed he is not on the game plan of the man in charge. Boasting of 198 goals in his years at Camp Nou, the striker immediately attracted the attention of giant clubs in Europe.
He was supposed to sign a three-year deal with Juventus and the prospect of playing with Cristiano Ronaldo sent excitement in the football world last week. But the deal requires Suarez to obtain an Italian passport, which proved problematic for the star.
It was suggested that the passport application will be delayed so Suarez decided to abandon the deal. Metro, however, reported that the player's citizenship application collapsed due to allegations of cheating.
Juventus boss Andrea Pirlo himself admitted that the deal with Suarez was fraught by complications and had to be canceled. So, Pirlo had to look for a replacement and it turned out to be Atletico striker Alvaro Morata, who will join the Turin club on a one-year loan this season.
