by Benny The Noon » Thu Aug 08, 2013 2:28 pm
Wantaway Luis Suarez insists he's 'not desperate' to leave Liverpool FC
by Richard Buxton, Published Thu 08 Aug 2013 13:47, Last updated: 2013-08-08
Wantaway Liverpool striker Luis Suarez hopes a 'friendly' resolution can be reached over his future, but insists he is not desperate to leave Anfield.
Suarez arrived at the club's Melwood training ground this morning with daughter Delfina as he continues to train away from the first-team after angering the Reds with his public attempts to push through a move to Arsenal, who saw a £40million plus £1 offer rejected last month.
John Henry, Liverpool's principal owner, arrived on Merseyside earlier to personally oversee the ongoing wrangle with the controversial 26-year-old, who threatened earlier this week that he would hand in a transfer request in order to secure his move to the Emirates Stadium.
Suarez is also set to face tough punishment from manager Brendan Rodgers for what he claimed was a 'total disrespect' of the club and last night dismissed claims by the Uruguayan the club had reneged on a promise to allow him to leave if they failed to qualify for the Champions League.
Speaking to Spanish newspaper Marca, Suarez, likely to miss Saturday's friendly with Celtic in Dublin due to a foot problem, has reiterated his desire to join Real Madrid and says even pleas by teammate Steven Gerrard cannot overpower the lure of Europe's premier club competition.
He said: "I'm still defending the Liverpool shirt and I will do so until the last minute.
"My aim is to reach an agreement with the club in a friendly manner and I hope the clause we agreed a year ago is fulfilled. Up to now, it hasn't been.
"It's not that I want to or am desperate to leave, but I like things to be clear and a year ago I made my position to the club clear."
"Gerrard has a lot of history with Liverpool and his words are very important but everyone should understand that I need to play the Champions League to keep growing as a footballer. Now I have the chance, I want to take it," he added.
"A Champions League team (Arsenal) is making a big effort to get me and one always wants to be where they feel comfortable. There were a lot of rumours (about Real) that were different to reality: Madrid never called me personally or Liverpool to try and negotiate.
"Every player aspires to reach the top and Real Madrid is among the most important clubs in the world. It would be very difficult to say no to Real Madrid."
One player that will be leaving Liverpool this week is midfielder Jay Spearing. The 25-year-old made just 30 senior appearance since graduating from the club's youth academy in 2008 and is now set to return to Bolton Wanderers, where he spent last season on loan, on a permanent deal.
Meanwhile both Liverpool and Everton have been handed home advantage in their opening Capital One Cup ties. Notts County will travel to Anfield while fellow League One side Stevenage make the trip to Goodison Park for the second round, scheduled for the week commencing August 26.