Liverpool land Luis Suarez in £22.7m deal with Ajax


Liverpool have completed the signing of Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez from Dutch club Ajax in a five-and-a-half year deal worth about £22.7m.


"Luis Suarez has completed his transfer to Liverpool in a deal that will keep him at Anfield until 2016," a club statement read. Suarez, 24, will wear the coveted number seven shirt, made famous by his boss Kenny Dalglish.

The striker scored 49 goals in 48 games for Ajax in the Eredivisie last season.

Ajax, who told Liverpool to return with a "respectful" bid after rejecting their initial offer of £12.7m, will make a £16.3m profit on a player they bought from Dutch outfit Groningen in 2007. But BBC Sport blogger Tim Vickery suggested that Liverpool have invested wisely.

"If I had £23m in my bank account I wouldn't have too many qualms about spending it on Suarez," Vickery told BBC Radio 5 live.

"Everybody wins. Ajax played the transfer game poker very well. Liverpool have paid top whack but they have got a striker who can play across the line."

During his spell with the Amsterdam club, Suarez scored 111 goals in 159 appearances. His scoring ratio for Uruguay is one goal in every three internationals, having scored 10 times in 30 games, including three goals in last summer's World Cup.

The Uruguayan has just finished serving a seven-match ban for biting PSV Eindhoven's Otman Bakkal on the shoulder in a league match in November.

"I can understand Luis wanting to go to Liverpool. It's a beautiful club but then it has to be satisfying for both parties," said Ajax manager Frank de Boer.

Suarez is the first major signing for Liverpool owners New England Sports Ventures (NESV) since it bought the club in October 2010.

But the news comes as Liverpool are on the brink of losing star striker Fernando Torres to Chelsea, who are working to seal a deal for the Spaniard before the January transfer window closes at 2300 GMT on Monday.

Earlier this month Suarez, who has scored seven goals in the Dutch league this season, spoke of his desire to play in the Premier League.

"I used to think that English football was not my style," the Uruguayan, who turned 24 on Monday, told the Sunday Times. "But I saw Carlos Tevez play at Boca and Corinthians and I never imagined that he would play in the Premier League.

"When I see the way that Tevez plays there I think I can be a big name in England. It's because of the energy, and the spirit they put into the game in England. Now, I think it's a kind of football that suits me."

Source: BBC Sports

Popular posts from this blog

Wayne Rooney Profile

Image
Wayne Rooney WAYNE MARK ROONEY Wayne Mark Rooney is an English footballer. He plays as a striker for Manchester United, a Premier League club, and the England national team. He was born 24 October 1985 at Croxteth, a suburb of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. His parents, Thomas Wayne and Jeanette Marie Rooney, are from Irish descent. Rooney and his younger brothers (Graeme and John) was brought up Catholic in Croxteth. Wayne Rooney joined Everton youth club since he was 9 years old, and made his professional debut in 2002. But he just spent two years in this club before moving to Manchester United in the 2004 when he was 18 years old. United actually got a hard competition from Newcastle United that bid £ 20 million for Rooney . But Manchester United has won the bidding war with a bid of £ 25.6 million . This is the highest fee ever paid for a player who is still under 20 . Rooney has brought United won the Premier League four time
Read more

Cristiano Ronaldo Profile

Image
Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro , commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo , is a Portuguese footballer. He plays now as a winger or striker for Spanish giant club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team. Ronaldo was born at 5 February 1985 in Santo António, Madeira (Portugal). He is the youngest child of José Dinis Aveiro, a municipal gardener, and Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro, a cook. He has one older brother, Hugo, and two older sisters, Elma and Liliana Cátia. His great-grandmother Isabel da Piedade was from Cape Verde Ronaldo became the most expensive player in football history after moving from Manchester United to Real Madrid in a transfer deal worth £80 million (€94m, US$132m) for 6 years. In addition, he was to be paid £11 million per year over the following six years, made him the highest-paid football player in the world at the time. Manchester United signed Ronaldo from Sporting CP (Sporting Lisbon) for £12.24 million in 200
Read more

Lionel Messi Profile

Image
Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés Messi is a best soccer player in the world now. He won Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player in 2009 and 2010. He is an Argentine footballer who currently plays for FC Barcelona. He plays as a striker or winger. Lionel Messi was born 24 June 1987 in Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina. His father is Jorge Horacio Messi, a factory steel worker, and his mother is Celia María Cuccittini, a part-time cleaner. His paternal family ancestor is from Italy. At the age of five, Messi started playing football for Grandoli, then he joined to Newell's Old Boys at 8. At the age of 11, he suffered a growth hormone deficiency. It needs much money for treat it, and FC Barcelona offered to pay his medical treatment if Messi move to Spain. Barcelona very impressed with Messi talent. Then Messi and his father moved to Barcelona where Messi joined the club's youth academy. His playing style and ability have compare to Diego Maradona, who himself declared Messi as his &qu
Read more