• Premier League

Liverpool legend questions Arsenal's Suarez bid

Former Liverpool striker John Aldridge has questioned whether Arsenal are serious in their pursuit of Uruguay striker Luis Suarez.

Aldridge believes Arsenal "were not serious" when they offered a reported £30 million offer for Reds hit-man Suarez last week, as he wonders whether the north London club are merely putting in offers for players they know they cannot sign in a bid to portray the impression of transfer ambition.

"Arsenal have yet to prove they are willing to offer a decent asking price for Suarez," said Aldridge in his Sunday World newspaper column. "Okay, so they put in a bid of £30m for him, but do you really think Liverpool would sell their best player to a domestic rival for a knock-down fee?

"Of course they wouldn't and Arsenal knew that when they knocked on the Anfield door with their derisory bid for Suarez. Come back with an offer that says we can have Jack Wilshere and £15m, then we will listen to you Mr Wenger.

"We are talking here about one of the best strikers in world football right now and in a week when you see his international team-mate Edinson Cavani joining Paris Saint-Germain for £60-odd million last week, it reminded us all of the value the commodity Liverpool have on their hands in Suarez.

"Arsenal are a very well-run club, they are in the Champions League every season and have a decent record of getting through to the knock-out stages of that competition, but they are hardly contenders for major honours any more than Liverpool are at this moment.

"If Arsenal are serious about getting back into the big-time, signing a player like Suarez would be a real statement of intent, but I suspect this move may be a publicity stunt."

Suarez has hinted that he would consider a transfer to Arsenal despite his stated desire to join Real Madrid, but it remains to be seen whether the Gunners will meet Liverpool's asking price in their bid to sign the striker.

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