adminLiverpool striker Luis Suarez is now “100 percent” a Barcelona player, the Spanish club has said.
A £75m deal was agreed last week for the 27-year-old Uruguay international.The La Liga runners-up are not able to present the player to their fans as he is serving a four-month ban from football-related activity for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini.
However, Barca director of sport Andoni Zubizarreta told a news conference: “He is 100 percent a member of the club.”
He added: “Luis Suarez is a Barca player to all extents and purposes. It is fact.”
Suarez will be ineligible to play for Barca or even to train with his team-mates until November unless the appeal lodged with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) is successful.
But Zubizarreta said he was convinced Suarez will be a “positive” acquisition.
“We accept people here, imperfections and all,” he said.
“I am sure Luis Suarez will be someone positive for us in the future. Luis Suarez is an important player for this club but the club is more than its players.”
The ban handed to Suarez for his biting offence last month was the biggest in World Cup history, beating the eight games given to Italy’s Mauro Tassotti for elbowing Spain’s Luis Enrique – now Barca boss – in 1994.
Meanwhile, Serbian forward Lazar Markovic has become Liverpool’s fourth signing of the summer after joining the Reds in a £20 million deal from Benfica.
Markovic’s arrival has taken Liverpool’s spending towards the £60 million mark following the arrivals of Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana from Southampton and Emre Can from Bayer Leverkusen.
He told Liverpool’s official website: “I am very happy that I have joined such a great club”.
The Serbia international arrived on Merseyside on Sunday night ahead of completing a two-part medical at Spire Liverpool Hospital and the club’s Melwood training ground after Liverpool triggered the £20 million release clause in his Benfica contract.-Dailymail.
Online Reporter