Barcelona confirm Luis Suarez move to Atletico Madrid

Barcelona confirmed on Wednesday evening that striker Luis Suarez will depart the Catalan club for Spanish rivals Atletico Madrid following a remote press conference scheduled for Thursday. 

Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens of ESPN reported Barcelona could earn up to €6 million on the transfer through unspecified performance-related variables. 

The 33-year-old joined Barca from Premier League outfit Liverpool following the 2014 World Cup and became one of the most successful players in the club's deep history. In 283 Barcelona appearances, Suarez tallied 198 goals, making him the third-highest goal-scorer in the club's history. Suarez is also credited with 97 assists during his Barca tenure. 

Among his many honors, Suarez won La Liga on four occasions and hoisted the Champions League trophy once. In total, he won 14 trophies in six seasons.

Barcelona appointed Ronald Koeman manager in August following a trophy-less campaign that ended with a humiliating 8-2 trouncing at the hands of Bundesliga winners Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinal, and Koeman reportedly quickly informed Suarez the Uruguayan international was surplus to requirements. 

As noted by ESPN, Suarez agreed to terminate his contract a year early so he could orchestrate a free transfer. However, once it became clear Suarez wanted to join Atleti, Barcelona temporarily reneged before working out an agreement with the forward's legal team. 

Suarez was previously linked with Major League Soccer side Inter Miami and Italian giants Juventus.