Luis Suarez leaked contract shows Barcelona paid Liverpool £64.98m for striker

Barcelona still have to make final payment to the Reds

Tom Sheen
Monday 28 March 2016 04:28 EDT
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(2016 Getty Images)

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The leaked contract of Luis Suarez shows that Barcelona agreed a deal with Liverpool of £64.98million for the superstar forward in 2014.

The document, which has emerged on the Football Leaks website, shows that the Reds were paid around £10m less than was widely reported that summer - and that Liverpool are still owed a final payment of £12.98m, due on 31 July this year. The document also says the fee will include any applicable Value Added Tax (VAT), the amount of which is not declared. VAT would not go into Liverpool FC coffers but would be paid to the government as part of the club's annual tax bill.

Suarez moved to the Nou Camp shortly after the World Cup, following a brilliant individual season that almost brought the title to Anfield.

A portion of the leaked contract
A portion of the leaked contract (Football Leaks)

Despite facing a ban from all football activities for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini in a group game in Brazil, Barcelona still paid a huge fee for Suarez after he scored 31 Premier League goals for Brendan Rodgers' team, who ended up second behind Manchester City.

Suarez had a relatively slow start to life at Barcelona, he was only able to make his debut three months into the season in October, but has now formed a devastating partnership with Lionel Messi and Neymar that saw the Catalan club win the treble last season, while they are top of La Liga and still in contention for another treble this term.

Suarez has 67 goals and 37 assists since joining the club, 42 of those goals coming this season.

Liverpool have struggled since the sale of the Uruguayan
Liverpool have struggled since the sale of the Uruguayan (Getty Images)

Liverpool, on the other hand, fell to sixth in the Premier League in 2014-15 after the sale of Suarez, while Brendan Rodgers was sacked in October following a poor start to this season; despite the appointment of Jurgen Klopp the Reds still find themselves only ninth in the Premier League.

The leaked contract shows that Suarez's fee was paid in five installments - four of £13m (July 2014, January 2015, July 2015, January 2016) with the final payment of £12.98m to come in July this summer.

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