Sports / Soccer
Ajax want 'respectful' Luis Suarez bid
25 Jan 2011 at 12:10hrs | Views
Dutch club Ajax have told Liverpool to come up with a "respectful" offer for their Uruguay striker Luis Suarez.
Liverpool have made a £12.7m bid for the 24-year-old and Reds director of football strategy Damien Comolli travelled to Amsterdam on Monday.
"We'll have to wait for them to come back with something more respectful," an Ajax spokesman told BBC Sport.
"We want to keep him - at least until the end of the season and preferably for the rest of his contract."
Clubs usually have to pay a premium to sign players during the January transfer window - Bosnia striker Edin Dzeko reportedly cost Manchester City £27m earlier this month - and Ajax suggested Liverpool would have to do so as well if they wanted Suarez.
"If you compare the 15m euros [£12.7m] Liverpool want to pay for Suarez with other transfers you can imagine that it's far too low for us," the Ajax spokesman added.
"Luis is our top goalscorer for the last three years and also the man with by far the most assists as well.
"He was one of the big guys for Uruguay in helping them come third in the World Cup in the summer and he still has a contract with us for two-and-a-half years."
Over the weekend Suarez, who has scored seven goals in the Dutch league this season, spoke of his desire to play in the Premier League.
"I used to think that English football was not my style," the Uruguayan, who turned 24 on Monday, told the Sunday Times. "But I saw Carlos Tevez play at Boca and Corinthians and I never imagined that he would play in the Premier League.
"When I see the way that Tevez plays there I think I can be a big name in England. It's because of the energy, and the spirit they put into the game in England. Now, I think it's a kind of football that suits me."
Ryan Babel, who has been linked with a move away from the club, has expressed a preference for a move to Ajax - possibly as part of a deal to bring Suarez to Liverpool - but late on Monday the 25-year-old Dutch forward agreed a transfer to German side Hoffenheim.
During the World Cup, Suarez missed Uruguay's semi-final defeat by the Netherlands after he was shown a straight red card for the illegal goal-line clearance which kept out Dominic Adiyah's header in the South American side's quarter-final penalty shoot-out win over the African side.
Also on Monday, Blackpool midfielder Charlie Adam submitted a transfer request following a £4m bid by Liverpool. The Seasiders insist that the Scotland international is worth substantially more.
Liverpool have made a £12.7m bid for the 24-year-old and Reds director of football strategy Damien Comolli travelled to Amsterdam on Monday.
"We'll have to wait for them to come back with something more respectful," an Ajax spokesman told BBC Sport.
"We want to keep him - at least until the end of the season and preferably for the rest of his contract."
Clubs usually have to pay a premium to sign players during the January transfer window - Bosnia striker Edin Dzeko reportedly cost Manchester City £27m earlier this month - and Ajax suggested Liverpool would have to do so as well if they wanted Suarez.
"If you compare the 15m euros [£12.7m] Liverpool want to pay for Suarez with other transfers you can imagine that it's far too low for us," the Ajax spokesman added.
"Luis is our top goalscorer for the last three years and also the man with by far the most assists as well.
"He was one of the big guys for Uruguay in helping them come third in the World Cup in the summer and he still has a contract with us for two-and-a-half years."
Over the weekend Suarez, who has scored seven goals in the Dutch league this season, spoke of his desire to play in the Premier League.
"I used to think that English football was not my style," the Uruguayan, who turned 24 on Monday, told the Sunday Times. "But I saw Carlos Tevez play at Boca and Corinthians and I never imagined that he would play in the Premier League.
"When I see the way that Tevez plays there I think I can be a big name in England. It's because of the energy, and the spirit they put into the game in England. Now, I think it's a kind of football that suits me."
Ryan Babel, who has been linked with a move away from the club, has expressed a preference for a move to Ajax - possibly as part of a deal to bring Suarez to Liverpool - but late on Monday the 25-year-old Dutch forward agreed a transfer to German side Hoffenheim.
During the World Cup, Suarez missed Uruguay's semi-final defeat by the Netherlands after he was shown a straight red card for the illegal goal-line clearance which kept out Dominic Adiyah's header in the South American side's quarter-final penalty shoot-out win over the African side.
Also on Monday, Blackpool midfielder Charlie Adam submitted a transfer request following a £4m bid by Liverpool. The Seasiders insist that the Scotland international is worth substantially more.
Source - Byo24News
