Arsenal and Chelsea Have Funded the Departure of Luis Suarez from Liverpool

Chelsea and Arsenal have funded Luis Suarez's move from Liverpool to Barcelona with the signing of Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez, reports in Spain claim.

The negotiations are not totally linked but according to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo the sales of the duo have ultimately helped the Catalans to secure the expected arrival of Suarez.

Barcelona are currently conducting a huge summer overhaul after a season without silverware and have already spent around £36m on Marc Andre-Ter Stegen, Claudio Bravo and Ivan Rakitic.

With a pair of centre-backs also expected to arrive at the Nou Camp this summer, Barca needed to recoup some money with sales to afford all the new additions - even though they have a strong balance sheet.

Chelsea confirmed the signing of Fabregas earlier in June, in a deal worth around £27m.

Meanwhile, Sanchez is expected to complete his move to the Emirates Stadium today for a reported fee of around £32m – with Arsene Wenger confirming earlier this week the deal was almost 'done'.

Mundo Deportivo claims it is no coincidence that Barcelona's latest offer for Suarez was around £58m – almost the exact amount generated by the sales of Fabregas and Sanchez.

Several reports on Friday claimed Liverpool and Barcelona had already agreed a deal in principle for £63m, but Mundo Deportivo insists the final fee will be £58m.

Thus it seems Chelsea and Arsenal have not only bolstered their squads with the acquisition of two of the world's most coveted players, they have also dented Liverpool's hopes of pushing on towards the Premier League title next season.