Luis Suarez transfer from Liverpool to Barcelona is ON after "productive" talks

Spaniards have agreed to a straight cash deal for a record fee so Alexis Sanchez's reluctance to move in part-exchange will not derail the deal

Andrew Powell

Nou player: Liverpool and Barcelona have agreed a deal in principle to take Suarez to Spain

Luis Suarez is joining Barcelona after the Spanish giants agreed in principle to pay Liverpool a record fee for the striker.

No precise sum was agreed when the clubs met in London for talks on Wednesday, but Barcelona have accepted they will have to stump up more than their opening £60million bid to sign Suarez.

The Reds price last season's double Player of the Year at £75m and have told Barca to forget about brokering a cut-price deal because of his four-month ban for biting Giorgio Chiellini last month while playing for Uruguay at the World Cup.

Both sides agreed to include Alexis Sanchez in the deal, who is valued at £32million by Barcelona - but the Chile World Cup forward has yet to be consulted.

Sanchez is understood to favour a move to Arsenal, but his assent is not critical to Suarez’s transfer because the Nou Camp giants have agreed to a straight cash deal if the 25-year-old rejects Liverpool.

The Kop club's chief executive Ian Ayre met Barcelona’s transfer broker Raul Sanllehi for what have been described as positive negotiations.

A source close to Liverpool said: “The talks were productive. There were sensible expectations on both sides. Further talks and discussions are to take place, but nothing has been finalised as of now.”

The next round of talks are expected to take place within days, and Suarez could be a Barcelona player as early as next week.

Barca are desperate to land the Uruguayan and the club's president Josep Maria Bartomeu has joined their charm offensive, praising him for apologising for his World Cup bite shame.

“Apologising has been to his credit because when you make a mistake you should apologise,” he said.

“It is good what he has done, because it helps football.

"It is the responsibility of all of us that Luis Suarez, at Liverpool or wherever he wants to be, continues his career. To admit errors is an important step.”