Re: Suarez paves the way for Anfield switch as Babel nears the exit door
Liverpool
Liverpool target Luis Suarez keen to convince Ajax to reduce their £30m asking price
Luis Suarez is expected to hold talks with Ajax in the next 48 hours in an attempt to convince the Dutch side to reduce their £30 million asking price and let the Uruguayan striker join Liverpool.
Sign of the times: Ajaz striker Luis Suarez (left) could still be on his way to Liverpool Photo: EPA By Rory Smith 7:00AM GMT 26 Jan 2011
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Ajax have informed Damien Comolli, the Premier League side’s director of football strategy, that only an offer matching their valuation would tempt them to sell the 24 year-old, suggesting the £12.7 million Liverpool have tabled is not “respectfulâ€.
The Anfield club’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, would prefer not to pay more than £20 million for the controversial striker but any hope of negotiating an improved price now rests on Suarez persuading Ajax to back down.
Suarez will meet the club’s general director, Rik van den Boog, over the next 48 hours in the hope of pushing a deal through.
Ajax’s manager, Frank de Boer, has made it clear, though, that he will not allow Suarez to be sold “at 23.55 on Jan 31†and the former Holland international is believed to be adamant that a replacement must be identified before the striker leaves, at any price.
Bas Dost, the Dutch Under-21 international currently with Heerenveen but a target for Feyenoord, is one option, while Stoke forward Eidur Gudjohnsen on Tuesday insisted he would welcome a move to the Eredivisie side.
“I think I could give something to Ajax,†said the former Bolton, Chelsea and Barcelona forward.
“I am 32 but have been very careful with my body, I am fit and I hope I can help them with my experience and my quality. My contract is only until the end of the season, so I could leave now, and I speak fluent Dutch.â€
Kenny Dalglish, Liverpool’s manager, must wait on the outcome of an increasingly prolonged saga to see whether he will finally land the attacking reinforcement the club have required for two years, but there is plenty to console the Scot ahead of tonight’s visit of Fulham.
Not only does he have the happy memory of the 3-0 victory at Wolves to indulge, but he will face Mark Hughes’s side with his captain, Steven Gerrard, restored to the side after missing the last three games through suspension.
Gerrard has offered only fleeting glimpses of his elemental best in recent months, but Dalglish has every reason to believe he can coax the 30 year-old into form once more.
Dalglish said: “Since I have been coming to watch this club, Stevie has played a huge role in its history. We all know the games that come easily to mind, the most memorable ones and important ones.
“He is a Liverpool boy. He has given everything to this club and will continue to. Others can judge what level it is on. For me he has been absolutely fantastic and we are just happy to have him.â€
It is not just Gerrard, though, who is imbuing Dalglish with a sense of burgeoning confidence. His side’s display at Molineux, as much as the result, is enough for the 59 year-old to believe the worst might be over.
“Slowly but surely we are getting everything put together,†he said. “The movement off the ball will be better because the passing is better. We are asking everyone to help each other whatever way they think best. They have got to do things for themselves.â€
Dalglish’s success in kick-starting Liverpool’s recovery will come as no surprise to his counterpart tonight. “A lot of the older [managers] are doing great jobs,†Hughes said. “Kenny’s gone in and he’s a uge figure there. Everybody seems to be back on board, which was not the case before.â€
