Luis Suarez set to rejoin first club Nacional in Uruguay ahead of World Cup 2022

Uruguay striker Luis Suarez has announced that he is returning home to his first club Nacional after being released by Atletico Madrid at the end of last season.

The former Ajax, Liverpool and Barcelona attacker is set to sign a three-month deal to play in the Uruguayan Clausura while preparing for the World Cup in Qatar that starts in November.

More than 20,000 Nacional fans wore Suarez masks at a recent game after they were linked with the 35-year-old forward.

“Hello everyone, first of all I wanted to thank you for all the love we have received, both me and my family in recent days,” the striker said in a video posted to Twitter.

“It has been very exciting, all the videos and messages that have reached us and touched our hearts about this situation.

“It was impossible to reject this possibility of playing again with Nacional. We have a pre-agreement with the club and in the next few hours details will be finalised and we hope that the agreement that we all want will be reached.

“I hope to enjoy this new stage and see you in the coming days. I send a big hug to all of you and thank you for all the love you have given us. See you soon.”

Suarez began his career at Nacional, making his debut aged 18 in May 2005. After one full season he moved to Groningen in the Netherlands and then on to Ajax a year later.

There he caught the eye of Liverpool and after three-and-a-half seasons in England – when he scored 82 goals in 133 games – Suarez moved to Barcelona for £75 million.

He enjoyed his most successful spell in Catalonia, winning four Spanish league titles and the Champions League in 2015.

Luís Suárez announces: “I’ve now reached a pre-agreement in order to join Nacional, it was impossible for me to say to this