• Premier League

Arsenal preparing £40m Suarez bid

The ongoing saga over the future of Luis Suarez at Liverpool rumbles on with Brendan Rogers insisting the player could not control the club - while reports circulated that Arsene Wenger is preparing to table a bid £40 million, £10 million more than his earlier approach which was rejected.

Suarez has made no secret of his desire to move on but Liverpool seem as determined he will stay. "This is something we will control," Rogers said. "This situation will not be controlled by the player. I have always said that there is no player bigger than Liverpool Football Club and that is something we are very strong on.

"Do I expect him to stay? Very much so. A lot has been said in the off season, but the reality is that he is very much a player of importance. Every player has a value and a worth, but it doesn't mean we are going to sell him."

The player has a clause in his contract which requires Liverpool to inform him of any bid in excess of £40 million and the Mirror reports than Wenger is willing to test the club's resolve.

Real Madrid are also interested but they are not believed to be willing to pay more than £25 million.

But former Liverpool striker John Aldridge said he doubted Arsenal's motives. "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."

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