Rio De Janeiro: Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez has confirmed he will leave Gremio at the end of the Brazilian domestic football season amid reports linking him to Inter Miami.

The 36-year-old said it would be difficult to say goodbye after he received the Farroupilha order of merit, the highest honor granted by the legislative assembly of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil’s southernmost state.

“We leave friends. Our children leave friends. I am left with the affection that the people from Gremio and also [local rivals] Internacional gave me,” Suarez said on Tuesday.

Suarez has scored 23 times and provided 16 assists in 50 games across all competitions since joining Gremio from Uruguay’s Nacional in January.

Having gained promotion from Brazilian football’s second tier last year, Gremio are currently fifth in the Serie A standings, four points behind leaders Palmeiras with three matchdays remaining.

Suarez initially signed a two-year deal with the club but will be free to leave in December after renegotiating his contract in July. In recent weeks, Gremio fans have used social media to implore the veteran forward to stay.

“It [fans’ support] confirms we made the right decision to come to this great city and country,” Suarez said. “We knew we were going to enjoy it from the moment we arrived. Thank you very much for the affection. We will see each other soon.”

According to media reports in Uruguay and Argentina, the former Liverpool, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid striker has agreed to a one-year contract with Inter Miami with an option of another season.

The move would reunite Suarez with Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets, with whom he played at Barcelona from 2014 to 2020.