Uruguayan international Luis Suárez has received approval from his club, Gremio of Brazil, to undergo treatment for his knee arthritis with a private doctor in Spain, the team's president, Alberto Guerra, announced on Thursday.

"He would like to consult with his doctor in Barcelona, and Gremio agrees. We are assessing the best time for that," Guerra said at a press conference, confirming the "severe pain" faced by the striker.

According to the executive, Suárez "underestimated and was mistaken about Brazilian football" as he encountered "a very strong championship, with heavy logistics and highly competitive matches." Additionally, he endures "many knocks and makes a tremendous effort for his age."

"This desire (to seek treatment in Spain)" is for him to return and perform better, "because he is playing, scoring goals, and is happy in Porto Alegre," Guerra asserted, avoiding a question about the possibility of the player moving to Inter Miami.

Last week, Gremio's former vice president, Paulo Caleffi, refuted reports that circulated about the Uruguayan striker's potential retirement, as Suárez has been dealing with arthritis for years.

Suárez has been a regular starter for Tricolor Gaúcho, but as Guerra stated in the past, the scorer's health problems are "serious," requiring injections to alleviate the pain, which even raised the possibility of a prosthesis.

At 36 years old, Suárez, who has also played for teams like Ajax in the Netherlands, Liverpool in England, and Barcelona and Atlético Madrid in Spain, joined Gremio at the beginning of this year and has excelled, now reaching 16 goals in 28 matches.