[ 2013-07-24 ]

Suarez to talk to Arsenal
Luis Suarez will be allowed to hold talks with
Arsenal but Liverpool have no intention of selling
their striker until his £50m-plus valuation is
met.

Arsenal's club-record bid of £40m plus £1 was
firmly rejected by Liverpool but Suarez now wants
to hold talks with the north London club.

The approach triggered a clause in his contract
that means he has been told of the bid and can now
talk to Arsenal.

But Liverpool will not sell him until Arsenal up
their offer significantly.

On Wednesday Suarez made his first appearance for
Liverpool since his infamous bite on Chelsea
defender Branislav Ivanovic's arm last season,
coming off the bench in an 18-minute cameo during
the Premier League club's 2-0 win over Melbourne
Victory at the MCG.

With Liverpool 1-0 up, the Uruguayan laid on the
Reds second for new signing Iago Aspas late in the
match.

After the game Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers
said: "There's nothing new to report, he [Suarez]
is very much a Liverpool player and over the
course of the next couple of weeks we've got to
get him up to speed."

Rodgers did, however, remind Suarez of the debt he
feels the player owes the Liverpool fans who have
stood by him after two seasons of controversy.

"The support he has received from the supporters
and the people of the city of Liverpool has been
unrivalled," Rodgers added.

"In this period of time he's missed a lot of games
for the club through various reasons. The people
have stood by him like a son and really looked
after him. Whatever happens in the coming weeks
that will be in his mind because it's something
you can never forget."

Liverpool have now turned down two offers from the
Gunners, who are keen to boost their attacking
options, while Real Madrid, now managed by Carlo
Ancelotti, also remain interested in the player
but have yet to make a formal offer.

Following Arsenal's most recent approach, a post
on Liverpool owner John Henry's Twitter page
read: "What do you think they're smoking over
there at Emirates?"

It is unclear whether Henry is talking about
Arsenal's attempts to sign Suarez or their
valuation of the player.

While Liverpool remain determined to keep Suarez,
who scored 30 goals for the club in 44 appearances
last season, their resolve is likely to be tested
if the bids continue to rise. Should Arsenal
persist and have an improved bid accepted, it
would more than double their previous highest
initial outlay on a transfer.

The Gunners, whose first offer for Suarez was
£30m, paid £17.5m to Sevilla for Jose Antonio
Reyes in 2004.

Suarez wants to leave Anfield to play for a
Champions League club despite only signing a new
long-term deal last summer.

Speculation has grown about Suarez's future since
he was punished with a 10-game ban at the end of
April for biting Ivanovic.

The striker still has to serve six games of that
suspension and was also banned in 2011 after being
found guilty of racially abusing Manchester
United's Patrice Evra.

Suarez joined Liverpool from Ajax in January 2011
in a £22.7m deal.

Source - BBC

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