New twist in Suarez saga

15 August 2013 08:58

Luis Suarez's future at Liverpool continues to cause confusion after the striker dismissed quotes attributed to him in which he said he was willing to stay with the club.

The 26-year-old Uruguayan has been at odds with the Reds throughout the summer, going public with his desire to leave after claiming they reneged on a promise to allow him to go if they did not qualify for the Champions League.

Such has been his dissent amid two rejected bids from Arsenal that he has been told to train alone, with manager Brendan Rodgers saying he can only rejoin the first-team squad once he apologises for his actions.

A lengthy impasse appeared to be on the cards until the El Observador newspaper reported on Wednesday: "For now, owing to all the affection of the people, I would be staying."

Square one appears to have been returned to, though, with Suarez denying making any such statement in the wake of Uruguay's 4-2 win over Japan.

He was quoted by Japan's Kyodo News as saying: "I didn't say that, maybe someone else did and the main thing is that I am here now with the national team."

With that game now out of the way, Suarez is expected to return to Merseyside to address the situation.

He cannot play in Saturday's Barclays Premier League opener against Stoke nor any of the following five matches because of a suspension meted out after he bit Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic last season.

That has not stopped Arsenal chasing him, though, with the Gunners recently bidding £40million plus £1 in a bid to trigger a perceived release clause in the former Ajax man's contract.

But Rodgers and Liverpool owner John W Henry have been steadfast in their reluctance to sell their striker, which prompted Suarez to last week take to the media to vent his anger.

Source: PA