Juve to test Suarez resolve

Liverpool are bracing for an approach by Italian champions Juventus for their star striker Luis Suarez, according to a report.

Juve are known to be actively shopping for a top striker to bolster their squad as they prepare to return to the UEFA Champions League this season.

The Serie A giant was among the clubs - along with Manchester United and Manchester City - interested in signing Arsenal's unsettled skipper Robin van Persie. However, Antonio Conte's side appear to have conceded defeat in their attempts to lure the Dutchman to Turin.

As a result, UK newspaper the Daily Mirror claims that Juventus are ready to switch targets - and try to snatch Suarez away from Liverpool.

The report speculates about the Uruguayan's desire to stay in England following a testing season which saw him handed an eight-game suspension and a £40,000 fine in December after being found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra in a Barclays Premier League match at Anfield.

Suarez re-ignited the row in February when he refused to shake Evra's hand as the Liverpool and United teams conducted their traditional pre-match greeting in the return meeting at Old Trafford.

More recently, the Uruguay international found himself being jeered and booed by the crowd while playing for his country during an Olympic Games defeat to Great Britain at the Millennium Stadium.

Liverpool are unlikely to want to sell their top forward in the current transfer window, after standing by Suarez throughout the controversy. His ability with the ball at his feet while running at defendes will very likely make him an important player for new Reds boss Brendan Rodgers, who prefers his teams to play with the ball on the ground.

Rodgers also did warn Suarez last week that he expects him to put the much-publicised controversies of last season behind him and move on.

The Anfield outfit signed Suarez from Ajax in January 2011.