MELBOURNE, Victoria: Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said yesterday he expects unsettled star Luis Suarez to stay with the club after the Uruguay striker arrived in Australia to join his team-mates in “great spirits”.
But goalkeeper Pepe Reina looks to be on his way out, with Serie A side Napoli heavily linked to the Spaniard.
Suarez, 26, missed the first leg of the club’s Asia tour in Jakarta after being given time off by the Reds following the Confederations Cup, but he flew into Melbourne from Montevideo late Sunday.
He has made clear he is keen to move to a club playing Champions League football, and has been the subject of a rejected £30m bid from Arsenal.
But pressed on whether he expected Suarez to remain at Liverpool for the upcoming season, Rodgers told a press conference: “Yes, very much so.”
“There’s been a lot of speculation over the course of the close season but the reality is that he’s a player who is very much valued at Liverpool and unless there’s any sort of offer that comes in that’s anywhere near his value, there’s nothing to consider,” he said, by later adding: “We haven’t had that.”
The Gunners are believed to be considering returning with an improved offer, while Chelsea and Real Madrid are also said to be interested in the controversial former Ajax star, who will miss the start of the Premier League season while he completes a suspension for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic.
Asked what Suarez’s value was, Rodgers replied: “I didn’t say we would sell him. I said that every player has a value and a worth. Doesn’t mean you’ve got to sell them.”
Rodgers, whose side beat an Indonesia XI 2-0 in Jakarta, plans to sit down with the striker in a bid to persuade him to stay.
“We’ll chat at some stage, like I do with all the players,” the manager said.
“But he’s back, he’s in great spirits. He’s obviously an integral part of the group -- you could see his closeness with his teammates last night when they were all seeing him for the first time in a number of weeks.
“He’ll join training today with all the other players and over the course of the next few weeks we’ll communicate.” AFP
