The Reds manager insists the striker remains key to the club’s preparations going into the new Premier League season, despite the ongoing speculation surrounding his future

Brendan Rodgers insists Luis Suarez remains “very much a part of the group” at Liverpool despite the striker’s desire to leave the club.

The Uruguay international is understood to be preparing to submit a transfer request to force through an exit from Anfield with Arsenal favourites for his signature after lodging a £42 million bid.

Suarez has now joined up with the squad on their current tour, following his participation in the Confederations Cup, and Rodgers is adamant it is vital that Suarez is involved in the club’s pre-season preparations.

“It is important [Suarez] is very much part of the group,” he told reporters.

“He has still got some way to go [with his fitness]. He is a number of weeks behind the other players.

“He is working hard on his conditioning and over the course of time as he gets closer to playing we will build him up to more minutes on the field.”

Suarez will miss the start of the Premier League season after being handed a 10-match ban for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic last season and Rodgers is already making contingency plans.

“I also have to consider that our focus over the course of pre-season is for the first game [of the Premier League] and Luis will not be available for the first game,” he added.

Liverpool kick off their new campaign at home to Stoke City on August 17.

The midfielder insists the Uruguay international, who is wanted by Arsenal, is vital to the club’s bid to secure a place in the Champions League

Liverpool midfielder Stewart Downing has urged the club to retain the services of Luis Suarez this summer.

The striker is currently preparing to hand in a formal transfer request in order to secure a move to Arsenal, who submitted a £42 million (€48.65m) bid for the Uruguay international on Monday.

Downing maintains Suarez has been welcomed back to pre-season by the Liverpool players, despite his public desire to leave Anfield this summer, and revealed the squad have held talks about the situation with manager Brendan Rodgers.

“It’s so important for us to keep hold of him as Luis is one hell of a player,” Downing is quoted as saying by The Sun.

“He’s had some good discussions with the manager, which will remain private.

“For us, as players, nothing changes. He’s still the same player and he’s a great lad to have around the place.

“He gets on well with all the lads. Luis knows we all want him to stay. It’d be so disappointing to lose him.”

Downing believes Suarez is vital for the club’s bid to regain a place in the Champions League and says the form Liverpool showed towards the end of last term shows much promise.

“What’s going on with Luis isn’t a distraction. Pre-season has gone really well and we’ve got some good results. Now we want to really push on,” he said.

“Since he came back Luis has been training really well and I think whatever happens with his Liverpool future will be sorted out in the next week or two.

“We want to keep our best players to help us get into the Champions League. That has to be our aim. We’ve strengthened the squad with new signings and I’m sure there will be a few more to come.

“If we can reproduce the form we showed in the second half of last season, we’ll have a good chance of breaking into that top four.

“We want Luis to be part of that. He’s a top player, one of the best in the world – we saw that with the goals he scored last season.”

Suarez, who arrived at Anfield from Ajax in January 2011, netted 23 times in 33 Premier League appearances last season.

Arsene Wenger’s side submitted a £42 million bid for the Uruguay forward on Monday as the striker prepares to hand in a formal transfer request in order to secure a move away

Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen believes that it would make more sense for Luis Suarez to join Barcelona or Real Madrid ahead of Arsenal this summer.

The Uruguay international is preparing to hand in a formal transfer request in order to push through a move to Arsene Wenger’s side, who lodged a £42 million bid for the forward on Monday.

Despite a lack of Champions League football at Anfield, Owen insists that Liverpool’s stature is on a par with Arsenal and argues that the 26-year-old would be better suited to Spain’s top two clubs.

“Arsenal are a fabulous club and have got a great heritage but Liverpool are as big – if not bigger,” Owen told BBC’s Sportsweek.

“I’d be very surprised if he were to move to Arsenal. Madrid or Barcelona would make more sense.”

Owen feels that Suarez should not opt to join another Premier League club and feels that Arsenal would not be a force in Europe next season unless their squad is strengthened this summer.

“I’m struggling to understand why he would leave and stay in England with Liverpool being the stature they are,” the recently retired forward continued.

“From Suarez’s point of view, you can understand him if he wants to reach the absolute pinnacle of the game – that’s playing in the Champions League. Liverpool obviously are not in that at the moment.

“Truthfully, can you really see Arsenal winning the Champions League next season or going into the later stages? Unless they buy a good few players then I can’t.”