Liverpool hold talks with Suarez's agent in bid to to keep star at Anfield after £30m bid from Arsenal

Liverpool have held further talks with Luis Suarez’s agent and reiterated their determination to keep the Uruguay striker at Anfield.
But on the day agent Pere Guardiola - brother of Bayern Munich boss Pep - spoke with Brendan Rodgers and managing director Ian Ayre, Suarez’s compatriot Edison Cavani claimed his fellow countryman needs to quit Liverpool and find a club that can give him Champions League football.

Uncertain future: But Liverpool still hope to keep Luis Suarez

Guardiola arrived at the Melwood training complex on Monday, hours after it had emerged Arsenal had a formal bid of £30million for Suarez rebuffed. The agent has been in regular contact with Liverpool and the talks, which had been scheduled, were described as cordial.
Suarez, who would prefer to move to Real Madrid, is not due to report back for pre-season training until July 22 and it has yet to be decided whether the 26-year-old will take any part in Liverpool’s tour of the Far East and Australia.
Arsenal are the only club to have made a serious enquiry about Suarez but the figure was some way below the £40million fee in his contract that stipulates he can seek permission to speak to clubs prepared to offer that figure.

All change? Liverpool would want a similar fee to that received for Torres to sell Suarez, while Stewart Downing could be on his way to West Ham

Liverpool, however, do not have to sell at £40m and if they are going to lose their prized asset they would be looking for a price similar to the £50m they received from Chelsea – who also hold an interest in Suarez – for Fernando Torres in January 2011.
It was inevitable Suarez - who still has six matches to serve of the 10-game ban he was given for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic in April - was going to be of interest to tops clubs this summer and Cavani, who is bound for Paris St Germain, believes he deserves a suitable platform.
‘Luis has to be playing Champions League football,’ said Cavani. ‘When you have the most complete striker in the world not playing in the top competition in Europe, then you know something is not right. He deserves the Champions League and the Champions League deserves him.
‘Real Madrid are a great team; Chelsea are a great team and Arsenal are a great team – but the most important thing is that they can offer him consistent Champions League football, which is not something Liverpool have been able to do.
‘I can tell you his love for Liverpool is very real. If they were playing in the Champions League, he would not consider leaving. But he knows he is now at the stage of his career that he needs to be playing at the top level.’
West Ham, meanwhile, have entered into discussion with Liverpool over the possible sale of Stewart Downing. West Ham enquired about Downing at the end of last season and felt encouraged to return.
The England winger finished the most recent campaign strongly but he has two years left on his contract and if Liverpool were to recoup half of the £20million they spent on him in July 2011, a deal could be done.