The 33-year-old spent six years at Barcelona where he scored 198 goals in 283 appearances but was deemed surplus to requirements and allowed to leave this off-season.
Barcelona, under new boss Ronald Koeman, have undergone a transformation and it was determined Suarez could leave on a free transfer, potentially to Juventus, as long as it wasn’t to one of the Catalan club’s rivals.
Barca had initially rejected Atletico’s interest before backing down and agreeing to a relatively small fee around 6m euros in variables, on a salary believed to be half of what Suarez was earning at Camp Nou.
“Atletico de Madrid and FC Barcelona have reached an agreement over the transfer of Luis Suarez, subject to passing his medical and agreeing and formalising the Uruguayan’s contract with our club,” Atletico announced.
Barca also made an official statement about the agreement of a transfer, confirming they’d hold a farewell event for the four-time La Liga winner.
“FC Barcelona would like to publicly express their gratitude to Luis Suarez for his commitment and dedication and wishes him all the best for the future,” the statement said.
Suarez has had a long and controversial career, including spells with Liverpool, Ajax Amsterdam, Groningen and Nacional in his homeland, where he’s made more than 100 appearances for his country, including playing at three World Cups.
His time at Barcelona was his most productive in terms of silverware, with the league four times, plus four Copa del Reys and one UEFA Champions League title, after only lifting the League Cup at Liverpool.
Atletico, who are managed by Argentine Diego Simeone, finished third in La Liga last season and reached the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals before losing to RB Leipzig.