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Atlético de Madrid have officially signed Luis Suárez, the club announced Wednesday, ending weeks of speculation about the move. The Uruguayan striker leaves Barcelona after playing there for six years of his remarkable career.
Suarez will reportedly join in a free transfer, but, as ESPN notes, his old Catalan club could earn more than € 6 million based on his performance with his new team. Pending a medical examination, his contract is expected to be for two years.
In negotiations with the club, the Uruguayan’s legal team worked to terminate his contract a year earlier after new manager Ronald Koeman told Suárez that the forward was not part of his plans for next season. Both parties initially reached an agreement in which Suárez would deliver part of what was financially owed to him in order to leave the club for free.
Things came to a standstill when it was revealed that the forward wanted to join Diego Simeone at Atlético, infuriating Suárez, but things smoothed out after a meeting with the club’s maligned president Josep Maria Bartomeu.
Barcelona’s withdrawal was almost confirmed earlier, when a video of a tearful Suárez leaving Barcelona’s training ground was posted online.
Suárez had just become the third top scorer in Barcelona’s history with 198 goals during his campaign. In addition to winning La Liga four times, he also won a Champions League and four Copa del Rey titles with Barcelona. Although he signed with Barcelona in the summer of 2014, he was not allowed to play in competitive matches for four months as he was suspended for biting Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup in Brazil earlier in the year.
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