Liverpool owner John W Henry has come down hard on Luis Suarez, saying that the striker will not be sold to Arsenal or any other European club this summer.

Henry said:

“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 him [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.”

The ball is now firmly in Suarez’s court to face the realization that he’ll need to change his attitude and concentrate on playing with belief and conviction for Liverpool instead of trying to force a move away from Anfield.

At the same time, it means that Arsenal have wasted a lot of time and energy into trying to sign a player that Liverpool don’t want to get rid of, which means it’s back to the drawing board for Gazidis and Wenger.

Is John W Henry blowing smoke, or is Suarez really not for sale? Tell us your opinion in the comments section below.

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