Suarez wants talks

Liverpool interpret the clause differently, but Suarez will inform the Reds of his wish to meet with Arsenal. The Anfield side have now turned down two offers from the Gunners, who are keen to boost their attacking options.

Real Madrid forward Gonzalo Higuain is another of their targets, but the Argentine was set to complete a move to Italian Serie A side Napoli yesterday.
Suarez made his first appearance for the Reds this summer yesterday, coming on as a 72nd-minute substitute and setting up Iago Aspas for his team’s 2-0 win over Melbourne Victory in Australia.

Arsenal’s unusual bid of £40 000 001 was designed to trigger a clause in the player’s contract that stipulates Liverpool must consider any offer in excess of £40m and give Suarez the option of talking to the club.

However, the Reds maintain they do not have to sell the Uruguayan.
Following Arsenal’s most recent approach, a post on Liverpool owner John Henry’s Twitter page: “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.

Real Madrid, now managed by Carlo Ancelotti, also remain interested in the player but have yet to make a formal offer.
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.
Rodgers last week said he considered Suarez to be at least as valuable as Edinson Cavani, another Uruguayan striker who recently joined Paris St-Germain for £55m.

Suarez joined up with the Liverpool squad in Australia at the weekend after flying to Melbourne from Montevideo on Sunday, having been given extended leave by the Reds following the Confederations Cup.

He 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 Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic during a Premier League game.

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. —AFP.