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If Luis Suarez believed his attack on Liverpool FC would smooth his passage to Arsenal he was sadly mistaken.

All Suarez achieved in going public over his burning desire to quit Anfield and move to the capital was to prove that he has no shame.

The message from Norway, where Brendan Rodgers’ side faced Valerenga last night, was loud and clear – Liverpool have no intention of backing down in this damaging summer-long saga.

Reds officials insist there is no grey area over the contentious clause in the Uruguayan’s contract. Bids in excess of £40million from a Champions League club merely trigger the start of negotiations, they do not secure Suarez’s signature.

In pictures: Suarez transfer saga

The 26-year-old and his agent Pere Guardiola disagree and are threatening to take legal action to prove Arsenal’s offer of £40million plus £1 must be accepted.

But if they are so confident what have they been waiting for? You can forget any misguided notion that Suarez would feel uneasy about the prospect of facing the club in court.

Suarez’s decision to use the English media, who only a few months ago he was blaming for making his life a misery, to try to crank up the pressure on Liverpool smacked of desperation.

Not for the first time in a career laden with controversy Suarez tried to portray himself as the victim. In reality he merely succeeded in showcasing his selfishness and complete disregard for those who have stood by him over the past two and a half years.

His story goes that Rodgers assured him 12 months ago that he could leave to join a Champions League club this summer if Liverpool failed to break into the top four. Rodgers insists that is not the case.

With no hint of irony, Suarez said: “Liverpool is a club with a reputation for doing things the right way, I just want them to abide by the promises made last season.”

Suarez should know all about broken promises. After all this is the same man who back in January said: “If you want to know what will happen to me if we don’t qualify for the Champions League, then I will say this: I have a contract with Liverpool and I am very happy here. I will stay.”

Video: LFC fans in Liverpool have their say on Suarez

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This is the very same man who dragged Liverpool’s name through the gutter with his behaviour when he racially abused Patrice Evra. Dishing out an eight-game ban, the FA commission branded his evidence ‘unreliable’ and ‘inconsistent’.

He told Kenny Dalglish he would shake Evra’s hand and then went back on his word, leaving the club’s greatest icon embarrassed and under fire.

He told Rodgers he would clean up his act and then sunk his teeth into Branislav Ivanovic’s arm. When hit with a 10-game suspension he complained about a witchhunt and snubbed Liverpool’s offer to help him combat his demons.

He told Reds fans he needed to get away from England because his family were suffering at the hands of the UK media. Now he says his heart is set on signing for Arsenal. Broken promises, hey?

According to Suarez, he owes Liverpool nothing as he has already repaid that unwavering support with an undeniably impressive record of 51 goals in 96 games. What rubbish. A player who has clocked up 20 matches in bans and repeatedly heaped shame on the club still has a huge debt to pay.

Suarez’s public outburst represented another slap in the face to Kopites who have backed him to the hilt.

If you had asked Suarez three months ago whether he fancied signing for Arsenal, he would have scoffed. He expected to have the pick of Europe’s top clubs with Real Madrid leading the way.

However, it’s a damning indictment of his chequered past that the only club to show any interest is one which hasn’t won a trophy for eight years and only clambered into the Premier League’s top four by a single point.

In pictures: Suarez at Liverpool

Arsenal are only guaranteed a place in the Champions League play-off round, not the group stage.

That’s what Kopites find so difficult to swallow. Why Arsenal?

Are they really in a better position than the Reds to challenge for honours this season? If he wanted to leave for the bright lights of the Bernabeu there would at least be some understanding.

“I don’t think the supporters are angry,” Suarez claimed – well, maybe he should have a chat with those who made the trip to Oslo from John Lennon Airport yesterday.

The mood was split. For some, this was the straw that broke the camel’s back. They believe Suarez has now reached the point of no return and that Liverpool need to get rid as soon as possible, even if it means accepting the Gunners’ derisory offer.

If no-one is bigger than the club, then why keep hold of someone who treats it with contempt and clearly has no interest in pulling on the shirt again?

However, there are others who insist to sell him now, especially below his market value which Rodgers believes is around £55million, would represent an embarrassing climbdown by the club.

They argue it’s time to make a stand against player power and make Suarez learn some respect while he trains on his own. That way Liverpool could prove that not even millionaire footballers always get their own way.

What is certain is that Liverpool, who have handled his saga exceptionally well so far, face a tricky dilemma.

The problem for Rodgers is that Suarez’s attitude has been woeful since the Reds returned from their pre-season tour.

In pictures: Seven great LFC sevens

Team-mates have spoken about how he has been moping around the place and has put no effort into training.

The danger that keeping him will unsettle the squad has to be balanced against the fact that for all his failings as a man, Suarez is an exceptional talent – the kind of which Liverpool would find incredibly difficult to replace.

Rodgers has discovered the difficulty of attracting top class ability this summer without being able to dangle the carrot of European football.

To lose his prized asset would be a symbolic setback for a club trying to reclaim former glories.

A bumper bid from abroad would provide the ideal solution to this saga. That way Liverpool wouldn’t suffer the double whammy of losing their top scorer and strengthening a domestic rival.

That’s why the Reds’ owners are insistent that there is absolutely no chance of them sanctioning a deal with Arsenal. To let Suarez head for the Emirates would in effect be raising the white flag in terms of challenging for Champions League qualification.

Rodgers has vowed to take “strong and decisive action” after Suarez’s “total lack of respect”.

An end to this sorry mess can’t come soon enough.