Liverpool admit defeat in pursuit of Arsenal-bound Sanchez, claims Pearce

Posted Tuesday, July 08, 2014 by Talksport.co.uk

Liverpool have given up in the pursuit of Barcelona forward Alexis Sanchez, who is set to move to Arsenal this summer - according to Merseyside-based journalist James Pearce.

The Reds were keen to bring the Chile international to Anfield after an impressive World Cup campaign, with the 25-year-old set to be used as a makeweight in Luis Suarez’s impending Nou Camp switch.

After repeated reports, Suarez’s Liverpool exit now seems to be all but confirmed, with Barcelona – despite many believing his repeat biting offence at the World Cup would harm his value in the summer transfer market – set to trigger his buy-out clause, at an estimated £70-£80million.

But the Premier League runners-up were not the only club interested in first-choice replacement Sanchez, with top flight rivals Arsenal and Italian giants Juventus also in the race.

And, with the Gunners thought to have offered Barca around £34million for the frontman, it seems Liverpool have lost out on the highly-rated attacker, as manager Brendan Rodgers begins his search for an alternative.

When asked about the latest on the Suarez deal, Pearce told Kick Off: “Everyone knows now that it’s definitely going to happen.

“Barcelona would have paid Suarez buy-out regardless of what happened at the World Cup.

“The only real hold-up on Liverpool’s end was whether Alexis Sanchez was going to be part of the deal.

“But, from the people I’ve spoken to at Anfield today, the club have had to admit defeat in that battle.

“Liverpool fully expect Sanchez to go to Arsenal, so the deal for Suarez will be straight cash, in the region of between £70 and £75million.”

With one target seemingly out if his hands, Rodgers now has until the end of August to booster his attacking options and find a suitable replacement of Suarez, who ended the Premier League season as top scorer, netting 31 goals in a sensational campaign which also saw him earn multiple Player of the Year awards.

And while Pearce rightly believes the Merseyside outfit will struggle to fill the void left by the prolific goalscorer, he adds that Daniel Sturridge, who notched 21 in the top flight last term, will shine in Suarez’s absence.

The Liverpool Echo reporter said: “He’s irreplaceable in many ways.

"You can’t find a like-for-like replacement for Luis Suarez because he was absolutely breathtaking for Liverpool, especially last season.

“He was as much of a creative force as he was a goalscoring one, so there’s no question that his departure would leave a huge void that Brendan Rodgers is going to have to try and fill now.

“But I think a player like Daniel Sturridge would relish being the main man now.

“There were times where he was shifted out of position to accommodate Suarez and I think now that he’ll be played through the middle every week we’ll see the best of Sturridge next season."