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Luis Suárez’s move to Atlético de Madrid resumes after the forward’s legal team reached an agreement in principle to terminate his contract with Barcelona, sources told ESPN.
A new deal had to be reached after Barça backtracked on the original deal made on Monday when it emerged that Suárez was close to signing for Atlético.
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The original terms would have allowed Suárez to leave for free in exchange for the Uruguayan international giving up a last-year percentage of his contract salary at the Camp Nou. Furthermore, he would not have been allowed to join certain clubs stipulated in the agreement.
Atlético weren’t among the clubs he could join, prompting Barça to back down when it emerged that their third all-time top scorer could join a rival for the La Liga title for nothing.
Suarez, 33, was furious and sources told ESPN he was prepared to speak on the matter, but that won’t be necessary after further developments Tuesday.
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Sources were unable to confirm the exact terms of the new deal, but some reports say Atletico will not pay Barca an upfront fee for Suarez and will instead pay a number of performance-related variables.
New coach Ronald Koeman told Suarez that it was not in his plans when he took office last month. He has not been involved in any of Barça’s three pre-season friendlies as negotiations continued on the termination of his contract.
He turned down the opportunity to join Inter Miami and become the highest-earning player in Major League Soccer history, while a move to Juventus also fell through.
Suarez’s move to Juve depended on him obtaining Italian citizenship, which was undone on Tuesday when it emerged that a language test conducted in Perugia last week is being investigated by prosecutors amid irregularities.
The Barça forward is not being investigated either.
Atlético had always been waiting behind the scenes, with coach Diego Simeone particularly keen to bring it in. Álvaro Morata’s transfer to Juve, confirmed on Tuesday, opened space on the salary bill to sign Suárez.
The move draws parallels to David Villa’s move from Barça to Atlético in 2013. With Villa at the helm, Simeone’s team won the La Liga title and reached the final of the Champions League.
Suárez will leave Barça after six successful years at the club. He has scored 198 goals since signing from Liverpool for around € 75 million in 2014.
Source: espn.co.uk
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