Luis Suarez leaves Barcelona for Atletico Madrid

Madrid: FC Barcelona have confirmed that Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez has left the club and would join La Liga rivals Atletico Madrid.

"FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have reached an agreement for the transfer of the player Luis Suarez," the club said in a statement on Thursday. "The Madrid club will pay FC Barcelona six million euros in variables."

"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," it added.

The move ends Suarez's six-year spell with Barcelona, during which he scored 198 goals in 283 appearances and formed a feared front three with star strikers Lionel Messi and Neymar.

The 33-year-old had joined the club from Liverpool in 2014 and helped them win four La Liga titles, four Copa del Reys and the Champions League and Club World Cup in 2015.

Meanwhile, Atletico said that the deal is "conditional on the medical examination and the agreement and subsequent formalisation of the Uruguayan contract".