Let me leave! Suarez blasts Liverpool over 'breach of contract' after failed Arsenal bids and vows to quit Anfield



Luis Suarez has broken his silence and demanded he be allowed to leave Liverpool after he sensationally accused them of failing to keep a promise.

After a summer of posturing, the Uruguay international has put his cards on the table and informed Liverpool he wants to join a Champions League club, in all likelihood Arsenal, the only team to have bid for him.

Suarez is prepared to submit a written transfer request by the end of the week to achieve his aims, even claiming that he has the support of the PFA and is prepared to call in the Premier League to arbitrate to get a move to the Emirates Stadium.

VIDEO Scroll down to watch Rodgers: Suarez bids don't match his value



On the ball: Suarez has told Liverpool that he wants to leave after saying the club failed to keep their promise

Crocked: Luis Suarez will not play against Valerenga on Wednesday night after being ruled out with an injury

The 26-year-old could have joined Juventus last summer but says he stayed out of loyalty to Liverpool and on the understanding that if Liverpool failed to reach the Champions League at the end of Brendan Rodgers' first season, he would be allowed to leave.

'I gave absolutely everything last season but it was not enough to give us a top-four finish - now all I want is for Liverpool to honour our agreement,' said Suarez.

'I have the club's word and we have the written contract and we are happy to take this to the Premier League for them to decide the case but I do not want it to come to that.

'I'm 26. I need to be playing in the Champions League. I waited one year and no one can say that I did not give everything possible with my team-mates last season to get us there.'



Suarez insists there is a clause in his contract that means Liverpool must sell if a club bids over £40million, which Arsenal did two weeks ago when they offered £40,000,001. Liverpool instantly rejected that but Suarez says they were in the wrong to do so.

Same old questions: Brendan Rodgers spoke to reporters in Oslo's Clarion Hotel ahead of Liverpool's friendly

'I don't feel betrayed (by Liverpool) but the club promised me something a year ago just as I promised them that I would stay and try everything possible to get us into the Champions League,' he said.

'They gave me their word a year ago and now I want them to honour that. And it is not just something verbal with the coach but something that is written in the contract. I'm not going to another club to hurt Liverpool.'



John W Henry had made it clear that Liverpool have no intentions of selling Suarez as he reaffirmed Fenway Sports Group’s commitment to the club.

The Uruguay striker will miss the friendly in Oslo against Valerenga after he was left out of the 21-man squad that left Liverpool because of a foot problem.

Manager Rodgers had no option but to leave Suarez behind after he was sent in early from training at Melwood Tuesday lunchtime, having struggled to complete a warm up jog and a series of shuttle sprints. He was subsequently sent for a scan.

Suarez had complained of a problem in his foot following an open training session at Anfield on Monday and Rodgers quickly accepted there was no need to persist with running him, as he is not available for the start of the new season.



‘Luis picked up an injury in the open training session at Anfield on Monday and along with a number of other players, we decided this game was too much of a risk for him,’ Rodgers said on arrival in Oslo.

Waiting in the wings: Suarez has played a bit-part role for Liverpool during pre-season

‘I will tell you what I have been saying about him all summer. He is an incredible player. On the field he is a fighter. He wants to win and he showed that last season. We have had a couple of bids from one club, which has been nowhere near the valuation of what he is worth.

‘This is a football club and a city that has stood by him in some of the darkest moments of his career. I have a responsibility to look after all the players.’

'We have no intention of selling one of the top players in the world to one of our rivals.

'The message is very clear: Luis Suarez is very much a Liverpool player. We've obviously had a couple of bids from one club that has been nowhere near the valuation.

'I repeat - nowhere near the valuation of what he is worth in this market. There's no change to that.

'It's the same with any of our players - we're very much a team that's trying to build and go forward. For that, we want to keep our best players.

Strong stance: Liverpool bosses have been vehement in their belief that Suarez will stay with the club

'There's not even really a discussion point, unless someone comes within anywhere near the valuation of Luis. At this present time, that's not the case.'

Arsenal’s interest, however, is not waning and there is a belief at The Emirates that their pursuit will reach a successful conclusion.



Liverpool have taken a robust stance throughout, with Rodgers adamant that he is not going to leave and Henry, Liverpool’s principal owner and the figurehead of FSG, backed up his manager’s view in Norway last night.

‘I don't know why people ask us if we are selling the club or the best players because we are not,’ said Henry, who will attend a Liverpool match this evening for the first time in 13 months. ‘We like to buy stuff, not to sell. We are not selling our best player.’



Lonely place: Arsene Wenger has so far been unable to seriously strengthen his squad this summer

It is not the first time Henry has spoken out on the subject of Suarez’s future. When Arsenal made their offer of £40million with an extra £1, in the hope of triggering a clause in Suarez’s contract, Henry tweeted: ‘What have they been smoking over there at Emirates?’



Though Suarez, Glen Johnson, Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel miss out, the game will provide Joe Allen – last summer’s big arrival – to build on his encouraging form. The £15million midfielder endured a troubled first year at Anfield but has now fully recovered from shoulder surgery.