Luis suarez liverpool

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Liverpool have completed the signing of Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez from Dutch club Ajax in a five-and-a-half year deal worth about £22.7m.

"Luis Suarez has completed his transfer to Liverpool in a deal that will keep him at Anfield until 2016," a club statement read. Suarez, 24, will wear the coveted number seven shirt, made famous by his boss Kenny Dalglish.

The striker scored 49 goals in 48 games for Ajax in the Eredivisie last season.

Ajax, who told Liverpool to return with a "respectful" bid after rejecting their initial offer of £12.7m, will make a £16.3m profit on a player they bought from Dutch outfit Groningen in 2007. But BBC Sport blogger Tim Vickery suggested that Liverpool have invested wisely.

"If I had £23m in my bank account I wouldn't have too many qualms about spending it on Suarez," Vickery told BBC Radio 5 live.

"Everybody wins. Ajax played the transfer game poker very well.Liverpool have paid top whack but they have got a striker who can play across the line."

During his spell with the Amsterdam club, Suarez scored 111 goals in 159 appearances. His scoring ratio for Uruguay is one goal in every three internationals, having scored 10 times in 30 games, including three goals in last summer's World Cup.

The Uruguayan has just finished serving a seven-match ban for biting PSV Eindhoven's Otman Bakkal on the shoulder in a league match in November.

"I can understand Luis wanting to go to Liverpool. It's a beautiful club but then it has to be satisfying for both parties," said Ajax manager Frank de Boer.

Suarez is the first major signing for Liverpool owners New England Sports Ventures (NESV) since it bought the club in October 2010.

But the news comes as Liverpool are on the brink of losing star striker Fernando Torres to Chelsea, who are working to seal a deal for the Spaniard before the January transfer window closes at 2300 GMT on Monday.

Earlier this month Suarez, who has scored seven goals in the Dutch league this season, spoke of his desire to play in the Premier League.

"I used to think that English football was not my style," the Uruguayan, who turned 24 on Monday, told the Sunday Times. "But I saw Carlos Tevez play at Boca and Corinthians and I never imagined that he would play in the Premier League.

"When I see the way that Tevez plays there I think I can be a big name in England. It's because of the energy, and the spirit they put into the game in England. Now, I think it's a kind of football that suits me."

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Luis Suarez, an instant hero in the Reds' 2-0 victory against Stoke City

Luis Suarez enjoyed a dream debut for Liverpool as he stepped off the bench to score the second goal in a 2-0 win over Stoke and prove that life goes on without Fernando Torres at Anfield.

The Uruguayan made a £22.8million move to England from Ajax in the January transfer window as part of Kenny Dalglish's plans to rebuild the 18-time champions of England.

And, although he began the match among the substitutes, Suarez could not have announced himself in any better fashion than with a goal at The Kop end following his 63rd minute introduction.

Wearing the No.7 shirt made famous by Dalglish and Kevin Keegan, the striker could yet see the Premier League's dubious goals panel deny him his 79th minute strike following the intervention of Andy Wilkinson, but he still claims the spotlight.

Raul Meireles had put Liverpool in front in the 47th minute, while injured £35m-man Andy Carroll was watching from the stands having been signed on deadline day as a replacement for new £50m Chelsea striker Torres.

Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz was born 24 January 1987 at Salto (Uruguay) is a striker of Uruguay national. He played for Ajax Amsterdam since 2008 before moved to Liverpool on 28 January 2011 when Ajax accepted an offer of £22.8 million (€26.5 million) from the English club. He replaced Fernando Torres, who moved to Chelsea, as the main striker of Liverpool.


In 2010, Suárez was named Dutch Footballer of the Year, having ended the season as top scorer in the Eredivisie with 35 goals in 33 league matches (49 goals in all competitions).*