The situation was markedly different in the summer when - in the light of a bid in excess of £40m from Arsenal - the Uruguay international claimed the club had reneged on a deal which would allow him to join a side playing in the UEFA Champions League.

However, a promising start to the season sees the Reds in third, behind Chelsea only on goal difference, and Suarez has contributed significantly already after returning from suspension, scoring six times in five league matches.

Earlier in the week, captain Steven Gerrard said he thought the 26-year-old would reconsider his position at the end of the campaign depending on whether the club had qualified for the Champions League.

Luis Suarez has been "working his socks off" and will be ready to face Manchester United next week, according to Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers.

Striker Suarez will be available for the first time this season after completing his 10-match ban for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic last season.

He has been allowed to play international matches, and Rodgers says Suarez has been given training hard for his return.

Suarez, who played 90 minutes in a friendly against Burnley in midweek, will be available for next Wednesday's Capital One Cup tie at Old Trafford.

"We have been organising some games behind closed doors, both in terms of in-house 11-a-side matches and bringing teams in," Rodgers told the Liverpool Echo.

Benzema, Mesut Ozil and Angel Di Maria will all be allowed to leave to fund the world record signing of Tottenham Hotspur winger Bale and the £42m transfer of Liverpool forward Suarez, the newspaper claims, and Arsenal maintain an interest in each one of the triumvirate. But Benzema, a striker, is Arsene Wenger’s most wanted, although the player is said to be less keen on leaving the Santiago Bernabeu.

Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown believes the club's pursuit of Liverpool striker Luis Suarez should offer hope to their supporters.

Arsenal have made two bids for the controversial Uruguay international, the latest one for £40m+£1, although they are running out of time to secure a deal before the transfer window closes.

But even if Arsene Wenger does not manage to bring Suarez to The Emirates, Keown is convinced the Frenchman's willingness to spend money in the transfer market is a step in the right direction.

"It was a demonstration to Arsenal fans," said Keown.

Luis Suarez has suggested he may be willing to stay at Liverpool and end his dispute with the club.

Suarez had claimed that he had an agreement that he would be allowed to leave Liverpool if they failed to qualify for the Champions League.

Arsenal have made two bids for the striker, and in the meantime Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has ordered Suarez to train alone and only return after he has apologised to his team-mates.

But his desire to leave now appears to have changed.

Suarez is currently away with Uruguay for their friendly in Japan and he was quoted in Uruguayan newspaper El Observador as saying he is willing to remain at Anfield because of the supporters.

Suarez - the subject of two failed Arsenal bids last month - has claimed Liverpool are refusing to honour a clause in his contract reportedly allowing him to leave Anfield for £40m-plus if the club failed to qualify for this season's Champions League.

Suarez trained alone on Wednesday as Liverpool maintained their defiant stance that their star player was not for sale.

But while the PFA's chief executive, Gordon Taylor, sympathises with the Reds' attempts to keep the Uruguay international on Merseyside, he believes resistance could prove futile.

Taylor, who earlier revealed that the PFA was trying to help both parties reach a solution, told Sky Sports News: "We have tried to get a settlement of this but there are a number of other big-name players who are in situations where clubs are offering, clubs are refusing and it has to be sorted between the club and the player.

"What is quite clear is that an offer in the region of £40m has been turned down and if Luis Suarez is determined to leave you don't see any sense in a player being where he doesn't want to be.

"On the other hand we've a short period of time in the window and if you're going to lose a player as good as Luis Suarez you need time to replace him and you need good money and no doubt that will be on Liverpool's mind.

"It's created a real problem and that's why we need to be mindful in the future of such clauses and if it is going to be a buy-out clause it says that, and there's no ambiguity and no misinterpretations because it's obviously the case that that has happened."

Suarez had earlier said: "Last year I had the opportunity to move to a big European club and I stayed on the understanding that, if we failed to qualify for the Champions League the following season, I'd be allowed to go.

"I gave absolutely everything last season but it was not enough to give us a top-four finish. Now all I want is for Liverpool to honour our agreement.

"I have the club's word and we have the written contract and we are happy to take this to the Premier League for them to decide the case, but I do not want it to come to that."

The striker - subject of two failed Arsenal bids last month - claims Liverpool are refusing to honour a clause in his contract allowing him to leave Anfield for £40m-plus if the club failed to qualify for this season's Champions League.

Suarez has so far stopped short of handing in an official transfer request, but the Uruguayan has now made it clear he intends to push through a move.

Arsenal remain the only club to have made an offer, and their second bid was just £1 over the £40m mark.

Suarez said: "Last year I had the opportunity to move to a big European club and I stayed on the understanding that, if we failed to qualify for the Champions League the following season, I'd be allowed to go.

"I gave absolutely everything last season but it was not enough to give us a top-four finish. Now all I want is for Liverpool to honour our agreement."

And Suarez says he will take further steps if the Reds continue to block his move to London.

"I have the club's word and we have the written contract and we are happy to take this to the Premier League for them to decide the case, but I do not want it to come to that," he said.

"I don't feel betrayed but the club promised me something a year ago, just as I promised them that I would stay and try everything possible to get us into the Champions League.

"They gave me their word a year ago and now I want them to honour that. And it is not just something verbal with the coach but something that is written in the contract. I'm not going to another club to hurt Liverpool."

Liverpool's supporters may argue they are entitled to more loyalty from Suarez, having supported him steadfastly despite the long bans he has received for racially abusing Patrice Evra of Manchester United and biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic.

But Suarez said: "I got a great reception at the weekend and I am grateful. I don't think the supporters are angry, I think they understand a player when he has the ambition to triumph at the highest level.

"When you are at a club for as long as you are together you stick up for each other, but that does not give the club the right to go back on their commitment.

"I'm 26. I need to be playing in the Champions League. I waited one year and no one can say that I did not give everything possible with my team-mates last season to get us there.

"People may accuse me of showing a lack of loyalty but last season we told Liverpool there was interest from a top European club and they told me: 'We've got a new coach and we're going to push for the Champions League.'

"I spoke with (Liverpool boss) Brendan Rodgers several times and he told me: 'Stay another season, and you have my word that, if we don't make it, then I will personally make sure that you can leave.'

"Liverpool is a club with a reputation for doing things right. I just want them to abide by the promises made last season. Some of my team-mates say to me: 'We cannot understand that, if you have it signed, that you can't leave.'"

The Gunners have signed only France U20 forward Yaya Sanogo on a free transfer but Wenger was defiant when asked if he felt his squad, as it was, could challenge the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City.

"Yes, of course. I am confident. Why should I sit here and say to you we can

absolutely not win the title with the players we have?" said Wenger, speaking after Saturday's pre-season 2-2 draw with Napoli in the Emirates Cup.

Wenger refused to talk explicitly about Arsenal's continued attempt to snare Suarez, instead repeating his determination to keep transfer dealings private.

"I never said we have made a bid to Liverpool, now I can tell you we have made one, so at least that is some information. All the rest, I would like to keep to us," the Frenchman added.

"If we progress in that situation, we will inform you. At the moment, that is

where we are. We will treat every transfer with the rules we have always done until now, that is in a fair and respectful way.

"We have one month in front of us and we will work very hard to strengthen our squad, without naming any specific names, because I do not believe that will make negotiations easier.

"When you want to buy any player you need the agreement of the club, of the

player and you need to agree a price, so you need three agreements.

"What is important is we focus on the players we have, that we are not too much drawn into these stories."

Wenger's faith in his current squad looked questionable after some poor first-half defending allowed Lorenzo Insigne and Goran Pandev to put the Italians in command.

But an acrobatic goal by Olivier Giroud with 18 minutes left sparked a fightback and Laurent Koscielny headed home a dramatic late equaliser.

"It was a good game overall at a good pace against a good side who finished second in Italy last year," Wenger said.

"I feel overall over 90 minutes we played going forward. It took us time to adjust defensively, and as well it was a good mental test because from 2-0 down to come back for 2-2 is very impressive."

Arsenal have failed with two club record bids for Suarez, who told Liverpool earlier this summer he wants out of the club but has since returned to pre-season training.

And as Sky Sports News' 92Live helicopter landed in Liverpool on Thursday evening, Ayre joined Jim White pitchside at Anfield to make it clear the striker is going nowhere before the transfer window closes.

"We've got Luis Suarez in our squad, he'll have trained today and he's working hard," said Ayre, who added there have been no offers from abroad for the player.

"Despite what people think we've not had an intention of selling Luis, we've never said we want to sell Luis.

"He continues to work hard and train hard for Liverpool. That will continue and I'll expect him to be here at the start of the season."

Ayre confirmed Arsenal's two bids but said: "It's not something we're interested in and, as our fans would expect, we rejected both. The player is not available for sale - that's where we are and that's where we'll stay

"I wish I had £1 for everyone that's stopped me in the street saying 'make sure Luis stays'. That's what we're doing."

Suarez was given time off after playing for Uruguay in the Confederations Cup but joined up with Brendan Rodgers' squad in Melbourne, where 95,000 supporters watched Liverpool beat Melbourne Victory.

Ayre said: "I don't think his demeanour's changed - he's been a professional throughout. It's just business as usual.

"Luis was on the back end of tour with us. He joined us in Melbourne, and seeing the fantastic support and adulation, nobody will know more than Luis how much he's loved by this football club.

"I'm sure he's going to stay - that's always been our ambtion and that's what we expect to achieve."

Suarez remains heavily linked with a move away from Anfield with Arsenal having two bids rejected for the Uruguay international striker, the last one of £40million plus £1 which they believed would trigger a sale clause.

Liverpool have always maintained they merely had to inform the player of offers of that magnitude and have been steadfast in stating Suarez is not for sale.

Anfield captain Gerrard certainly does not want to see the 26-year-old leave - particularly to a club he sees as a direct rival in the race for Champions League football.

In an interview in the Independent, he said: "It's difficult every season to finish in the top four positions because of the power the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United have got at the moment.

"The likes of us, Tottenham and Arsenal are fighting to sneak into the other place that's available.

"Where we sit actually right now, it all depends on what decision Luis Suarez makes in the next few weeks. If we lose him then the challenge becomes even more difficult. It's that simple.

"If he goes to Arsenal, it obviously makes our season that little bit more difficult.

"It strengthens them an awful lot and they are our rivals for a top-four position. From the club's point of view it doesn't make sense at all, no matter how much money is put on the table."

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Gerrard emphasised Liverpool's need to invest rather than sell.

"This club needs to make one or two big signings if we are to compete for the top four - and keep Suarez," he continued.

"Alongside Gareth Bale, Luis is the third best player in the world after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Luis and Bale are the two hottest properties out there at the moment.

"When you're in that position, you're going to get all kinds of teams wanting to pull you away, especially when you are at a club not in the Champions League.

"It's nothing to do with the British media [criticising Suarez]. Knowing the guy as I do that's probably the thing on his mind: wanting to be in the Champions League.''

Although Gerrard does not like the idea of Suarez leaving for North London, the midfielder would accept his team-mate leaving for Spain.

The 33-year-old continued: "If he was to go abroad to a Madrid or Barcelona I would totally understand it. He's a South American. He's good enough to play in either of those teams.

"From a family point of view, it's where they all want to be. Javier Mascherano, Xabi Alonso, some of the top players I've played with - their dream was to play for Real or Barcelona.

"If I was him I would wait for one of those two clubs because I think he's good enough to play for them."