The Uruguay international appears determined to leave Anfield this summer and has now openly flirted with the north London club

Luis Suarez admits he is flattered by Arsenal’s interest and claims Liverpool are aware of his desire to leave the club.

The Uruguay international informed the Reds of his desire to leave for pastures new earlier this summer, with the 26-year-old strongly linked with a move to Real Madrid.

But the Gunners have since emerged as surprise contenders for his signature after bookmakers dramatically slashed their odds of Suarez moving to the Emirates last week.

“There have been no offers yet, but Liverpool know exactly what is going on and what I want,” Suarez told Uruguayan radio station Sport 890.

“My agent is in charge, he knows what I want, I am resting and relaxed. I am due back in about ten days, on the 21st of July, [but] a phone call could change everything.

“It’s good to know that I am still valued by teams like Arsenal. Friends call me up to ask if I am moving to Chelsea, to which I laugh.”

He scored 30 goals in all competitions last season and has a contract with the club until 2018, having signed a new deal last summer, just 18 months after joining from Ajax.

The Aston Villa frontman has made clear his desire to leave the club this summer with Tottenham now odds-on to secure his services this summer

After an impressive season in the Premier League which saw him score 19 league goals in 34 appearances, Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke seems intent on leaving the club this summer and has not travelled to Germany with the squad as they begin their pre-season tour.

Although a club statement clearly indicated that the 22-year-old Belgium international had been given extra time off which accounted for him missing the tour, his timely decision to hand in a transfer request has seen plenty of activity in the betting markets.

Tottenham are now expected to lead the chase for his signature priced at 8/11 (1.73) after Andre Villas-Boas missed out on his first choice transfer target David Villa, who has sealed a move to Atletico Madrid, ending weeks of speculation about his future.

Villa’s decision to snub the Premier League leaves Villas-Boas in a situation which he is quite familiar with since he took over at White Hart Lane, one that sees him well short of strikers as his club continue to chase Champions League football.

Chelsea are 5/2 (3.50) to bring Benteke to Stamford Bridge this summer, a price which is clearly influenced by the fact the London club could well miss out on Edison Cavani thanks to Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis who is standing firm on his €63 million valuation of the Uruguay international.

The club already have a Belgian starlet in their ranks in the form of Romelu Lukaku although the decision to retain his services could be seen as a negative for backers of Chelsea in this market. Would the Blues be prepared to meet Aston Villa’s valuation when they already have Lukaku in the squad?

Arsenal have also been backed into 5/1 (6.0) although their chase of Gonzalo Higuain could realistically mean there is little chance of Arsene Wenger being in a position to make Aston Villa an acceptable offer and negotiate for his services.

Liverpool are priced at 17/2 (9.50) but with the Luis Suarez transfer saga looking likely to be somewhat longer than many had anticipated it seems backing that move is unlikely to be good value.

A host of other big names are priced at 14/1 (15.0) by the same firm including Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City and Atletico Madrid but the odds would seem to suggest Benteke is more likely to swap the West Midlands for a club in the capital over the coming weeks.

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The Reds manager describes the former Celta Vigo striker as a “fierce competitor” and says that he will fit in perfectly with what he is trying to achieve at Anfield

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers says that he signed Iago Aspas because he displayed a winning mentality during his time at Celta.

The Reds boss wants to marry technical quality with mental strength going into the new season and observed that the Spaniard became an attractive proposition this summer because he is a fierce competitor on the pitch.

“When we sat down last year we felt we needed to bring more of that mentality into the group – players with quality but also players with a winning mentality,” Rodgers told the club’s official website.

“Iago is a real competitor but he’s also got quality as well. We’re really looking forward to seeing him in action.”

Aspas is joined at Anfield by fellow Spaniard Luis Alberto, whom the former Swansea City manager sees as one for the future.

“He’s one who, over the next period of time, we’ll see is an outstanding player. He fits what we’re trying to do really well,” the Northern Irishman continued.

“He’s a very young player but he’s played competitive games and the philosophy won’t be anything new to him.

“He understands the game very well. He’s got the right profile of what we want and he’s another player who can score goals. I’m very much looking forward to working with him and seeing how he develops in the squad.”