Liverpool owner John W Henry has ruled out the possibility of selling Luis Suarez this summer despite the striker publicly asking to leave the club.
Suarez accused Liverpool of a breach of contract earlier this week in an attempt to force a move to Arsenal, who have had two bids rejected for the Uruguayan.
However, Henry has branded the idea of selling the 26-year-old to the Gunners "ludicrous" and also ruled out selling him to a foreign club due to a lack of replacements available.
"We are not going to sell Luis. For all the top clubs it's extremely important [not to sell to a rival] but especially for Liverpool because we're not in Europe this year and have not been in the Champions League for a while. To sell to a rival for those positions, or one of them, would be ludicrous. Liverpool needs to be playing in Europe. It needs to be playing in the Champions League. That's what Liverpool Football Club is about," Henry is quoted as saying in The Guardian.
"I'm unequivocal that we won't sell to Arsenal, whatever the bid is. I have not said it to Stan [Kroenke, Arsenal's majority shareholder] but I had a personal conversation with others at Arsenal and told [Ivan Gazidis] we would not sell to Arsenal.
"He won't be sold even if a foreign club comes in because we do not have time to sign a suitable replacement. It's a football reason. It's not about finances. That's why at this point, so late in the window, with everyone who's already moved or isn't moving, we can't replace him. So for football reasons we can't sell, and especially to Arsenal."
Meanwhile, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has promised to take action against Suarez after the striker's public plea to leave the club.
Barney Corkhill
