In the least surprising news of the day, Liverpool have confirmed on their official website that Luis Suarez is set to leave the club for Barcelona following prolonged talks.
Although no figures have been made official quite yet, the striker, who is banned from all football related activity for the next four months following his latest bit of drama, is thought to be departing for a pretty penny with the Catalan giants expected to stump up a figure close to the £75mil in the Uruguayan’s buy-out clause. Speculation has been rife since the start of the World Cup that the 27-year old would be making a move away from Liverpool, and though it’s been an almost daily topic of conversation since word first broke that the La Liga outfit were interested in his services, it still comes as a bit of a shock to the system.
Following the news, Suarez released a statement on the clubs official website thanking Liverpool supporters everywhere for always standing behind him. “It is with a heavy heart that I leave Liverpool for a new life and new challenges in Spain. Both me and my family have fallen in love with this club and with the city” he said. “But most of all I have fallen in love with the incredible fans. You have always supported me and we, as a family, will never forget it, we will always be Liverpool supporters.”
The sentiment is there, but it all seems a bit hollow considering the shenanigans he pulled last summer when he tried to engineer — through hook or crook — a move away from the club. Regardless, Reds boss Brendan Rodgers said it best last summer, and as everything became official, he echoed those sentiments again. “If there is one thing the history of this great club teaches us, it is that Liverpool FC is bigger than any individual” said the Northern Irishman after unreservedly thanking the Uruguayan for his service. “I hope our supporters continue to dream and believe that we are moving forward and with continued improvement and progression, together we will bring the success we all crave and deserve.”
More on this later in the day…
