JAKARTA: Liverpool’s star striker Luis Suarez is not for sale, manager Brendan Rodgers said yesterday, after the club reportedly turned down a £30m ($45m) offer from Arsenal.
Suarez, 26, has three years left on his contract with Liverpool, and the controversial Uruguayan will spend the first six games of the next season on the bench for biting.
Nonetheless, Arsenal and Real Madrid are believed to have made bids for the striker, whose floor price is set at £40m by Liverpool.
“We had an offer that came to the club, but it was nowhere near the value and worth of what we feel that Luis brings,” Rodgers told reporters, without confirming who made the deal. “In this moment in time, he’s very much a Liverpool player,” Rodgers said.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, also in Jakarta for a friendly last week that ended in a 7-0 victory for his team, was tight-lipped when asked about a bid for Suarez, but said he hoped “to be in a position where we can answer this question”.
Last month Suarez, who was banned for racist abuse in 2011, admitted it would be difficult to turn down an offer from Spanish giants Real Madrid. British media has reported a recent offer of £25m by the Spanish club.
Liverpool will play an Indonesian all-star team today in an exhibition match. REUTERS
