Suarez transfer to earn Reds £75m

LONDON. — Liverpool will bank a staggering £75,5 million from Luis Suarez’s move to Barcelona.
Anfield chief executive Ian Ayre has struck a deal that will see Barca pay the full terms of the buy-out clause in the bite-ban striker’s contract.An announcement on Suarez is imminent with Barcelona hoping to break the news officially yesterday.

Suarez could make a swift return to England with Barcelona due for pre-season training at the FA’s St George’s Park on July 28, although Suarez will not be able to train under the restrictions of his four month ban.

Liverpool were hoping to recruit Alexis Sanchez as a makeweight in the deal.

The Chile winger is reluctant to leave Spain but if he is forced out does not want to move to Anfield. He would prefer to join Arsenal.

On Saturday, the Merseysiders — who tabled a £34m bid for Sanchez just before the World Cup when it first became obvious that Suarez wanted to leave — were still refusing to give up on landing the 25-year-old.

But if Sanchez cannot be persuaded to join Liverpool inside the next 48 hours then they will take the cash deal.

Manager Brendan Rodgers rubber-stamped Suarez’s departure when it was made clear to him at the end of the season that the Footballer the Year wanted to quit Anfield.

Rodgers will now be given the cash generated by the third most expensive transfer in the history of football to strengthen his squad.

Around £37m has already been invested in signing Adam Lallana, Emre Can and Rickie Lambert, while another £20million has been earmarked for Southampton’s Dejan Lovren.

But a senior Anfield source said: “Significant finances have already been made available to the manager and if Suarez leaves that cash will supplement the fund.”

Many Liverpool fans will be devastated that Suarez is leaving, despite the Uruguayan being hit with a four-month ban from all football for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini.

But Ayre has conducted a remarkable piece of business for a player who cost £22m from Ajax just over three years ago.

Barcelona were the only club interested in buying Suarez after Real Madrid dropped out of the running following the third biting controversy of his career.

But when Ayre met Barcelona representatives in London on Wednesday, he made it clear he would walk away unless he was given assurances that they were ready to meet the buy-out clause in Suarez’s contract. —The Mirror.