• Premier League

Liverpool could double Suarez wages

Luis Suarez put on a dazzling display against Tottenham on Sunday © Getty Images

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Liverpool have begun talks over a new deal with Luis Suarez as they bid to keep him out of the reach of Europe's big-spending clubs.

Managing director Ian Ayre flew to Barcelona on Tuesday to open negotiations with Pere Guardiola, the striker's agent.

No firm contract offer was made during the meeting, but Liverpool are keen to ensure they secure Suarez's long-term future, sources told ESPN. Talks are expected to continue over the coming weeks, with reports suggesting the club are prepared to double his wages to around £200,000-a-week.

From hero to zero... and back again

Luis Suarez made the headlines in 2013 © Getty Images

• It has been a turbulent 12 months for Luis Suarez, but the Liverpool striker looks set to end the year on a high. Relive it all with ESPN's best football stories of 2013

The 26-year-old signed for £22.8 million from Ajax in January 2011, and is under contract until the summer of 2016, having penned his most recent deal in 2012. But his Anfield future made headlines all through last summer as he stated - publicly and repeatedly - that he wanted to leave.

Liverpool insisted throughout the saga that they would not sell him, rejecting two bids from Arsenal, including a £40,000,001 offer that the Gunners wrongly thought would trigger a release clause in his current contract.

Real Madrid have also been linked with a move for the Uruguay international, although they did not make a bid during the summer.

Both Suarez and Liverpool have put the summer's discord behind them, though. And since his return from a 10-match ban on September 25, Suarez has scored 17 goals in 11 Premier League appearances.

The striker was made captain at Tottenham last Sunday, with Steven Gerrard out because of a hamstring injury, and scored twice in Sunday's 5-0 win at Spurs. That victory moved Liverpool back into second place, two points behind leaders Arsenal.

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