Liverpool sign Luis Suarez: Can They Qualify for Champions League Next Season?

After a month of flexing their muscles, Liverpool FC have finally agreed to a fee for Luis Suarez with Ajax Amsterdam.

The 24-year-old is yet to pass a medical but, according to reports, the fee is worth up to £22.8 million with the Dutch club. It has to be noted that this will be the first major signing of Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group since they bought the club in Oct. 2010.

Liverpool, with their initial offer of £12.9 million were some way short of Ajax’s valuation of roughly £25M. Ajax coach Frank De Boer suggested a bid of around £21M would do the job, and so it was. Pending a medical, Luis Suarez would, finally, be a Liverpool FC player.

The Fight for Torres

It has been reported that the Reds have rejected a £35 million bid from Chelsea for star striker Fernando Torres. It’s pretty apparent that Liverpool do not want to part with one of their prized assets.

“The player is not for sale,” said a club spokesman on Friday.

But there is no assurance that Chelsea will not come up with an improved bid, given their own problems. It is believed that Chelsea are willing to offer the Spanish World Cup winner a cool £160,000 a week, £50,000 more than his current salary.

He will not force through a move but is expected to tell Liverpool that he would like the opportunity to speak to Chelsea if they make an acceptable bid.

What Next for Torres and Liverpool?

It’s hard to deny the drastic improvement that the Reds have shown since Kenny Dalglish took over as manager. It looks as if the gloomy days of Hodgson were never there.

It has been accepted for some time that Torres needs support up front and Suarez would provide that.

The signing of Suarez would go down as a real statement of intent from the new Liverpool owners. But will it be enough to convince Torres to stay at Anfield beyond this season?

The answer to this, simply, lies in Liverpool’s position in the league table at the end of the season. A Champions League place is a must if Liverpool are to satisfactorily convince El Nino to stay at Anfield.

At the moment, Liverpool are at seventh position in the league. With 14 rounds to go, the Reds sit nine points off the final Champions League place. While not an impossible task, it will require a Herculean effort to achieve the same.

To start with, Liverpool are still to play Man United, Man City, Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea this season. This offers a glorious chance to shave some points off the "big five." This gives Liverpool a more than slim chance of getting that coveted fourth and final Champions League spot.

Make no mistake, if Liverpool fail to achieve this, it would be very tough to keep hold of Torres. It’s just criminal that a player of his quality has to miss Champions League football season after season.

But one thing is for sure—Liverpool are well and truly on the road to rebuilding the fortress that Anfield once was.

What do you think? Can Liverpool claim a Champions League berth with the signing of Suarez?