Friday 11 July 2014
Since joining Liverpool from Ajax for £22.7m in 2011, Suarez had made no secret of his desire to play in Spain at some point. Reds director of football Damien Comolli had warned then-manager Kenny Dalglish shortly after Liverpool signed him; Suarez had told players and staff. It was an open secret.
2013-14 had been a season in which he had repaired some of the damage he had done to his reputation over three controversial years in England. His deep feeling for Liverpool and its fans was intact, even if the same could not be said of his view of the British media.
Not only had he inspired Liverpool to heights of which few had thought them capable, he had been the clear choice for the player of the year awards given by both the Professional Footballers' Association and the Football Writers' Association.
But what was on his mind - and had been for some time - was the chance of a career-defining move to Real Madrid or Barcelona.
Senior figures at Liverpool were aware that an offer from either of the two Spanish giants would give them a problem.
Last summer, Barcelona bought Neymar from Brazilian side Santos for about £49m and Real signed Gareth Bale from Spurs for a world-record £85m. There had long been a feeling that, this summer, Suarez was high on both their lists. The La Liga pair were top of his.
via:http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/28220991
Related: FIFA rejects Suarez appeal
