Liverpool & Barcelona Confirm Luis Suarez Deal

Twitter/FCBarcelonaDespite the hold-up in Luis Suarez's official unveiling at Barcelona after his move from Liverpool - which was likely a response to the impending confirmation that his appeal yesterday against his four month global ban - and the official announcement by Liverpool that they have now agreed a deal to sell the Uruguayan, Barcelona are one step ahead of their English counterparts and have officially welcomed the striker to their club. The club's official Twitter account sent out the following message, seemingly confirming Suarez's - again prematurely in terms of where Liverpool are in their own announcements... https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona_es/status/487559781088231425 That message translates as "From today we become followers of @ luis16suarez. Welcome to Barcelona # SuarezFCB." This comes after it was revealed yesterday that the club had already agreed to sign the player for what was thought to be ‚88m, but has now been suggested as closer to ‚72m, which comes in some way short of the expected valuation of £70m. Liverpool meanwhile confirmed that they had agreed the deal with an official statement on the club's website, stating Suarez was now free to finalise details - his contract and a medical, though it's likely the former is a formality already - and thanking him for his time at the club, though, inevitably avoiding any mention of his various transgressions:

"We would like to thank Luis for his contribution and the role he played in helping bring Champions League football back to Anfield."

Though they have lost a world class talent, Liverpool now have a considerable war-chest to re-invest on top of the signings they have already made, and selling now is undoubtedly the right time for the club.

Are you happy with this deal? Share your thoughts below in the comments thread, and check out our run-down of exactly what Suarez will be able to do during his global football ban here.