Barcelona: 'We paid £65m for Luis Suarez'

Barcelona sporting vice president Jordi Mestre has claimed that the Catalan outfit paid £65m for Luis Suarez this summer and not the £75m reported.

The Uruguayan international made the switch from Liverpool last month, with the Catalan outfit believed to have paid the full release fee to his Premier League club.

However, Mestre has said that Barca negotiated the price down.

"His buyout clause was £75m and we reached an agreement for £65m," Mestre told reporters at a press conference.

Suarez will not be cleared to make his competitive debut for Barcelona until the end of October as he continues to serve a four-month worldwide ban for a biting incident at the World Cup.