Liverpool Transfer News: Reds' Stance on Luis Suarez Should Not Change

The Luis Suarez saga continues to take unexpected twists and turns. After the striker’s summer unrest seemingly came to a head following comments suggesting he wanted out of Anfield, Liverpool chose to stand firm in their unwillingness to sell Suarez to the first willing suitor.

Suarez has drawn interest from multiple clubs this summer, and it comes as no surprise the talk persists. According to Jim Daly of the Daily Mirror, Spanish giants Real Madrid have already made a £25 million bid for the striker, and Premier League rivals Arsenal remain in the hunt:

"

Real Madrid have decided they will pay no more than £25m, while Arsenal's opening bid of £30m was rejected but they are ready to come back with more.

Rodgers, who gave Suarez time off from the Anfield team's pre-season after the Confederations Cup, claims the 26-year-old Uruguayan is still part of his plans...although left the door open by suggestions "nobody is bigger than the club."

"

But Anfield boss Brendan Rodgers also noted that it would take “something drastic” for Suarez to leave Liverpool this summer—something in the neighborhood of £40 million, perhaps:

"

There has been lots of speculation about Luis moving to another club but, as I said, he is very much a Liverpool player. We had an offer that was nowhere near what we value him at. He's one of the top strikers in the world. Of course he wants to work and play at the top level. But unless something drastic happens, he will be staying here. Rodgers is right to hold firm on his stance to keep Suarez. For less than £40 million in return, there’s absolutely no reason for Liverpool to sell their best scorer.

"

The 26-year-old still has three years left on his contract, and the Reds have no obligation to sell him. After just missing out on a Champions League berth last term, he’s also Liverpool’s most important asset for getting back to the top four in the Premier League.

Rodgers could certainly choose to accept less than £40 million for Suarez, but there’s been no indication the unrest at Anfield will be enough to cause a split between the two parties. And with several dominoes yet to fall on the transfer market, the price should remain as high as ever.

With a host of big names linked with exits, Liverpool are under no pressure to let Suarez be one of the first pieces to drop.

And Liverpool haven’t exactly been part of much excitement regarding potential transfer targets, either. Should the club ultimately sell Suarez, Liverpool will have to make sure they can replace at least part of his production with a quality striker.

Time will tell if Suarez really is destined for an Anfield departure, but at this point, Rodgers and Liverpool have no reason to cut ties short of the offer they want.