Henry says Suarez will not be sold
Print Edition
Liverpool owner John Henry ruled out selling disgruntled star striker Luis Suarez this offseason, and said on Thursday it would be “ludicrous” to let him join Premier League rival Arsenal.
With Suarez having gone public this week to voice his desire to leave Anfield for a chance to play in the Champions League, Henry told local media the Uruguayan would remain with the club “come what may.”
“We are not going to sell Luis,” the Liverpool Echo quoted Henry as saying. “I have told (Arsenal chairman) Ivan Gazidis that Luis is not for sale. I am unequivocal on that.”
If Henry sticks by his comments, it would draw to a close one of the longest-running transfer sagas of this offseason, which has frayed relationships between the clubs and led some Liverpool fans to turn against their top goal scorer.
Arsenal has bid just over 40 million pounds (US$62.1 million) for Suarez, but Henry said it was out of the question to sell the team’s best player to another club fighting for the Champions League spots.
“Since we have not been in Europe and are not in Europe this year — and we haven’t been in the Champions League for a while — obviously to sell Luis to a rival for one of those positions would be ludicrous,” Henry said, adding Liverpool would not be able to find an adequate replacement before the Premier League starts next weekend.
“It is football. It’s not finances, it is football. That’s why I said at this point, this late in the window, everyone has already moved and we haven’t identified anyone who hasn’t already moved — or isn’t moving — to replace him.”
The American said he hopes Suarez can still be convinced to continue playing for Liverpool despite his public plea for the club to let him leave. Manager Brendan Rodgers said Suarez had acted with “total disrespect” toward the club, and he should apologize for the comments he made.
“It would be between the manager and the player,” Henry said.
Meanwhile, Chelsea has not given up hope of signing unsettled Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney, Blues manager Jose Mourinho has said.
The Premier League champions have already turned down a bid for Rooney, who is believed to be unhappy at the club.
United has maintained the 27-year-old is not for sale, but Mourinho said following a pre-season loss to Real Madrid in Miami on Thursday that they would continue their pursuit.
“We are far away so we are not in England to know every detail but we are doing things in the correct way,” Mourinho said.
“We made the bid and Manchester United have reacted. Let’s see what happens. But we can’t do more than we are doing now.”
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