LUIS SUAREZ'S Liverpool future is in serious doubt as the threat of the sack looms large over Kenny Dalglish.
The brilliant yet wayward Anfield hitman is worried about his manager’s increasingly precarious position in the Merseyside hotseat.
If Dalglish, 61, is still at the helm next season, Suarez stays. He is a massive fan of the Liverpool boss, who loyally backed him throughout his racism row with Patrice Evra.
But if King Kenny is axed – as seems a real possibility – the Uruguayan hot-head may well demand a move back to Europe, where several top clubs are ready to offer him refuge.
Loaded French outfit PSG have made no secret of their desire to sign Suarez and continue to monitor developments.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men, though, can expect competition for the ex-Ajax striker, 25, from a trio of Italian clubs in AC Milan, Inter and Roma.
What chance they actually have of landing £30million-rated Suarez appears to depend on whether Dalglish keeps his job.
Liverpool’s American owners stated last week that no decision on the manager’s future will be made until after a review of the 2011-12 season is complete.
However, even if the Reds add the FA Cup to their Carling Cup triumph, there is no guarantee Dalglish will receive the green light to continue.
Amazingly, the bookies now make the Scot 4-7 ON to be gone before August – with many believing the writing has been on the wall for some time.
When Liverpool won the League Cup in February – their first silverware since 2006 – the lack of public praise for Dalglish from his Yanks bosses John Henry and Tom Werner was deafening.
That suggested a crisis was already brewing and the situation has since careered completely out of control amid the club’s worst sequence of league results in more than 50 YEARS.
Last weekend’s defeat at Newcastle was Liverpool’s SIXTH in their last seven top-flight clashes – while their record for 2012 makes equally horrible reading. Only rock-bottom Wolves have collected fewer points than Dalglish’s expensive flops since the new year.
The shocking slump has ended any chance of Champions League qualification – the pre-season priority following the club’s massive £100m spending spree – and left Dalglish in grave danger.
Which is why Suarez is having second thoughts about extending his stay in the North West and signing an improved deal.
He loves working with Dalglish, forever grateful of the manager’s unwavering support when hit with an eight-match ban for racially abusing Manchester United skipper Patrice Evra in September.
But if Dalglish went, Suarez, already public enemy No.1 with opposition fans across the land, could decide to cut his losses and quit.
A Kop insider confirmed: “Without Kenny as manager, there has to be a major question mark about Luis.”
One man bitterly upset at the club’s dramatic decline in fortunes is Anfield legend Phil Thompson.
He remains behind Dalglish, adamant the board must stick rather than twist come the close season.
Yet, at the same time, the ex-Liverpool skipper, who won seven titles and three European Cups between 1971 and 1984, has labelled the recent wretched run unacceptable.
Thommo, 58, said: “Since the Carling Cup and prior to the Carling Cup, it has not been good enough.
“Everyone has to take responsibility for the results – the players, Kenny and his coaching staff. Everybody.
“But there’s no question Kenny is the right person for the job.”
Only time will tell if Liverpool chiefs Henry and Werner agree – and where that leaves Suarez.
