Rodgers Confident Suarez Will Stay Despite Arsenal Preparing Improved Offer

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers believes star striker Luis Suarez will remain at the club next season as the Uruguayan prepares to make his first appearance in pre-season.

Suarez missed the start of the club's summer tour after being given extra time off thanks to Uruguay's participation in the Confederation Cup, but he joined up with his teammates on Sunday and is expected to feature against Melbourne Victory on Wednesday.

Despite rumours that Arsenal are preparing an improved offer for the 26 year old, Rodgers admitted at a press conference in Australia that he believed Suarez would stay at Anfield beyond the summer.

"As we've always been as a club, I'm quite relaxed about it. He's an integral part of our squad," Rodgers told the official Liverpool website. "We'll chat at some stage, like I do with all the players.

"But he's back, he's in great spirits. He's obviously an integral part of the group - you could see his closeness with his teammates last night when they were all seeing him for the first time in a number of weeks.

"He'll join training today with all the other players and over the course of the next few weeks we'll communicate. Him and I have been in regular communication throughout the summer."

Further quizzed on whether he was confident Suarez would stay, Rodgers added: "Yes, very much so.

"There's been a lot of speculation over the course of the close season but the reality is that he's a player who is very much valued at Liverpool and unless there's any sort of offer that comes in that's anywhere near his value, there's nothing to consider."

Arsenal have been rebuffed in their attempts to sign Suarez but the Daily Mirror believe that a new offer is being prepared by the north London club.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has clearly made Suarez his top target this summer, despite reported interest in Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney and Real Madrid's Gonzalo Higuain.

Suarez is believed to have a rather complex £40m release clause in his contract and should Arsenal actually come up with this amount, then it seems Liverpool may be forced to reconsider their position.