Barcelona close in on Suarez

According to Sky Sports News, Barcelona could complete the signing of Liverpool striker Luis Suarez by the end of this weekend.

Talks between the two clubs have been ongoing for the past couple of days and sources say significant progress has been made with exception to the proposed fee.

On Wednesday evening a Liverpool source confirmed: “The talks held today were productive, there are sensible expectations on both sides. Further talks and discussions are to take place, but nothing is finalised as of now."

Liverpool are pressing for a £80m deal for their star forward - a sum that would activate a release clause in his contract - but Barcelona are reluctant to spend as much on the Uruguayan striker and are hoping to an agreed figure of around £60m.

Despite his ban from football for four months, the 27-year-old has been allowed to participate in pre-season training, and FIFA have granted him permission to have a full medical ahead of the transfer.

The future of Barcelona forward Alexis Sanchez is also believed to remain on the agenda, but it is believed that the Chile forward will not be used as a makeweight and that any deal will be brokered separately.