Luis Suarez has travelled to Rosario to meet-up with his former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi after reaching a ‘verbal agreement’ to join Brazilian club Gremio.
Earlier this year, after leaving Atletico Madrid, Suarez confirmed that a move to South America was a possibility. He subsequently joined Uruguayan club Nacional – where he began his career – on a short-term deal until the end of the calendar year, although there is an option to extend his stay.
Suarez left Atletico at the end of last season after two years in the Spanish capital. His goals helped fire Diego Simeone's side to the league title in his first campaign at the club – netting 21 times to secure Atleti's first domestic triumph in seven years – but he struggled to replicate that form in his second term.
Mexican side Cruz Azul wanted to sign the striker while MLS club Inter Miami are reportedly interested in the 35-year-old's signature. Suarez scored eight goals and provided four assists in 14 games for boyhood club Nacional last season to fire them to the Uruguayan league title. He also represented Uruguay at the World Cup in Qatar.
As detailed by Marca, Suarez has verbally agreed a two-year contract with Gremio and after doing so, travelled to Argentina alongside his wife, Sofia Balbi, and his three children as they arrived in Rosario to meet with Messi's family. His former Barca teammate is still revelling in Argentina’s World Cup success.
Gremio president Alberto Guerra has said: "As president, I have the responsibility of doing business that does not harm the club's financial position. That is why the help of members who are interested in the negotiations is necessary. We are working to have a conclusion in the next few hours."
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Suarez is one of the best strikers of the past decade and has scored more than 500 goals for club and country. His trophy cabinet includes five La Liga titles, the Eredivisie title, the Champions League, the EFL Cup and the Copa America.
Suarez has never scored fewer than 10 league goals in a full season - as he joined Nacional midway through the 2022 campaign - and found the net 59 times in all competitions during the 2015/16 term to win the European Golden Shoe for the second time.
The striker’s World Cup this year did not go to plan as Uruguay crashed out of the competition at the group stage, despite defeating Ghana on the final matchday. The South American nation were held to a scoreless draw by South Korea before losing to Portugal in what was Suarez’s last edition of the tournament.
