Barcelona ‘close to confirming’ huge new Luis Suarez deal

Luis Suarez: Could have joined Real

Barcelona are on the brink of confirming that Luis Suarez has agreed a new six-year deal that will see the striker effectively end his playing days with the La Liga giants.

The six-year deal will commit the Uruguayan to the Nou Camp until the summer of 2022 – and keep him at the club until he reaches the age of 34.

Club president  Josep Bartomeu is confident everything will go through without a hitch and has even hinted the agreement could be confirmed before Christmas.

“Suarez is going to renew [his contract] now. It’s already done. There are only a few small details outstanding,” he said.

“In the coming days or weeks we will announce it.

“Maybe, why not, as a big Christmas present. Not for Luis, who already knows that he is going to continue here, but for football fans.

“For them he is a very important character who forms part of this spectacular front three that we have at the club.”

Bartomeu confirmed that the Uruguayan – who had been linked with a move to Manchester United – was the latest in a glut of extensions to be agreed following new deals for other first-team pillars, including Sergio Busquets, Neymar and Javier Mascherano.

Lionel Messi and Ivan Rakitic are the next names in the queue.

But Bartomeu also revealed that Suarez could extend his stay in Catalunya even further.