In an exclusive interview with The Guardian newspaper, Luis Suárez has asked to leave Liverpool, claiming that the club promised him he could go if they failed to qualify for a spot in the Champions League.

Suárez said he will take the issue to the Premier League to try and force a move before the league’s transfer window closes on Sept. 2.

“Last year I had the opportunity to move to a big European club and I stayed on the understanding that if we failed to qualify for the Champions League the following season I’d be allowed to go,” he told The Guardian. “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.”

Suárez is apparently okay with making a move to Arsenal, even though the Gunners play in England, home of the media that Suárez has blamed for his problems on the pitch, which have included a racial incident with Patrice Evra and a 10-game ban for biting Branislav Ivanovic (of which Suárez still has six games to serve.)

That is all water under the bridge, it seems, to Suárez, who is acting like a petulant child who is not getting his way. By going public with his demands he runs the risk of alienating a fan base that has stood behind him since his arrival with the club in 2011.

We get that the club will be weaker without Suárez on the pitch, but it is getting to the point where Liverpool may be better off just moving on from Suárez. As talented as he is, eventually you reach a point where his off-field baggage outweighs his production on the pitch.

There is also the little matter of Liverpool may need the money they would get in a transfer for Suárez.

Manager Brendan Rodgers has spent the past year cleaning out the mistakes left behind by the previous regime. He has already moved on from Andy Carroll and Charlie Adam at a combined loss of £23 million. Now with the reports that the club will allow Stewart Downing to go to Newcastle for £5 million – after the club paid £20 million for him – that would mean that Liverpool would have seen losses of £38 million on those three players.

It seems likely that principal owner John Henry will eventually decide enough is enough and look to recoup some of that lost cash.

And with the start of the season less than two weeks away, the club doesn’t need the daily distraction of dealing with questions about Suárez and his future.

Time for the club to say, “thanks for the memories” and book Suárez on the first train out of town.

What’s  your opinion? How will this transfer saga be resolved? Will it go to the PFA for resolution, or will Liverpool work out a deal with Arsenal?