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Tuesday Kickoff: Suarez considering legal action against Liverpool; Nastasic out 4-6 weeks; and more

LuisSuarez (Getty Images)

By JUSTIN FERGUSON

The Luis Suarez transfer saga is reportedly set to take a brand new turn as the courts may get involved in the striker’s quest to leave Liverpool.

Reports in England indicate Suarez is considering legal action to resolve his transfer drama at Liverpool and force a move to Arsenal. The Uruguayan striker believes his current club are not allowing him to transfer after receiving formal bids of over £40 million ($61.4 million), but Liverpool are insisting they only have to inform Suarez of any bids that meet the apparent clause in his contract.

Suarez, who has surprisingly not submitted a formal transfer request at Anfield, has previously used the courts to help out in transfer matters. Even though he lost the case against his former club Groningen, the legal proceedings eventually led the club to accept a higher bid from Ajax, where Suarez played from 2007-2011.

Although he signed a new deal with Liverpool in 2012, the striker has said in several interviews since the end of last season that he wants to leave. But no matter which club he suits up for this season, Suarez will still have to sit out the six final matches of his 10-match suspension for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic.

Here are some more stories to get your Tuesday started:

MAN CITY’S NASTASIC OUT 4-6 WEEKS WITH ANKLE INJURY

It appears Manchester City’s quest to reclaim the English Premier League title will start without the services of one the club’s brightest young stars.

On Tuesday, it was revealed that defender Matija Nastasic will miss four to six weeks with an ankle injury suffered during a match in the Barclays Asia Trophy final. The 20-year-old Serbian was carried off the water-logged field in Hong Kong on a stretcher during July 27’s match against Sunderland.

Nastasic had a breakout season with Man City last season, making 25 appearances in his first year since his move from Serie A side Fiorentina. He won the club’s Player of the Month award in November as he pushed 30-year-old Joleon Lescott out of Roberto Mancini’s starting 11.

In other Man City injury news, star striker Sergio Aguero is set to resume full training later this week. The Argentinian has not played in a preseason match so far for the Citizens, who face Arsenal in a final tuneup match on Saturday.

COSTA “HAPPY” AT ATLETICO MADRID

While Liverpool try to sort out the future of a possibly outgoing striker, one of the club’s incoming striker targets appears to be content with staying in La Liga.

After returning from Atletico Madrid’s South American tour, striker Diego Costa says he is happy in Spain and will stay as long as the club wants him there.

“I’m well here, I’m happy here,” Costa said. “As I’ve been in Argentina and Uruguay I’ve not heard anything about this. I’m happy here, if the club want me to be here, I’m going to be here. I think that the coach (Diego Simeone) counts on all of us, not just me. He knows how important it is to maintain the squad, the fans know it as well.”

Liverpool submitted a £21.8 million ($33.5 million) bid for Costa last week, one that reportedly triggered a release clause in the Brazilian’s contract. The 23-year-old Costa scored 20 goals across all competitions last season for Atletico, who finished third in La Liga.

QUICK KICKS

League One side Preston North End opened this season’s Capital One Cup with a stunning 1-0 upset of nearby Championship side Blackpool on Monday. (REPORT)

Bayern Munich opened up their defense of the German Cup with a 5-0 win over fourth-division club BSV Rehden on Monday. (REPORT)

A Sunderland fan has been given a three-year ban from all soccer matches for making a racist gesture at then-West Bromwich Albion striker Romelu Lukaku during a match last November. (REPORT)

Queens Park Rangers midfielder Adel Taarabt appears to be on his way to Fulham on a season-long loan deal. (REPORT)

New Barcelona signing Neymar has a mild case of anemia, but the club expects the talented Brazilian to play in both of their upcoming Asian tour matches. (REPORT)

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What do you think of these reports? See Suarez resorting to legal action in order to get a transfer to Arsenal? How much do you think Nastasic’s injury will hurt Manchester City at the start of their EPL season? See Costa staying at Atletico Madrid?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. I’m far from an Arsenal fan but I certainly respect the club, the manager and the way they go about thier business. So this Suarez thing seems so out of chracter, I suspect they would regret signing him for many, many years. There is real class at that organization, Suarez has none.

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  2. Тhe Suarez saga, the Bale saga, the Rooney saga … This is why I don’t really have much interest in club soccer any more. Teams are no longer built — they’re bought and sold.

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    • Not entriely fair from Arsenal’s point of view. They built the core of their team, either developing them or buying youngsters. Suarez would be adding a final piece. This is hardly the Man City approach.

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    • These types of things have gone on for a long time, the best teams have long purchased the best players. Rooney being a great example since he was plucked from Everton almost a decade ago now.

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      • Well, that all depends on your definition of “long time”. I still remember when Ajax and Bayern became the best teams in Europe by basically developing their own players, and clubs from countries like Belgium, Yugoslavia, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Sweden, etc could expect to (and did) advance very far in all European competitions.

  3. Knocking Alberty Haynesworth?? C’mon.

    What’s the matter with showing up to preseason camp grossly overweight and out of shape? What’s the matter with laying down on the field in the middle of a regular season game and refusing to get up while the running back goes right by you? What’s the matter with punching a driver who had the nerve to change lanes in front of your car?

    Joking aside, for this lifelong DC resident and Liverpool fan, the Haynesworth comparison is spot on.

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    • How is it spot on? The one thing nobody can question about Suarez is his drive and effort in game. The man plays every game at full throttle. Haynesworth became lazy, fat and useless. There are plenty of things to hate about Suarez but that comparison isn’t right.

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  4. It’s amazing to me that he goes on the offensive against the English media, and then wants to move the one place where the English media is in full force.

    To top it all off, ‘Pool supporters cheered him at every turn at Gerrard’s testamonial. I’m a Liverpool fan, and enough is enough already.

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  5. I have always been pretty skeptical of all the Arsenal doomsayers, but their relentless pursuit of Suarez will be their undoing. He scores a lot of goals, but his ego is to a team what gum disease is to a mouth full of otherwise healthy teeth. And there’s the biting. And the diving. And the intentional hand balls. And the racism.

    I have two words to describe Suarez that you may or may not understand: Albert Haynesworth.

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    • Haynesworth was a waste of space who got a $100M contract and then did absolutely nothing. Suarez’s hunger (pun intended) has never been in question – just his mental capacities.

      So….Dennis Rodman?

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    • I wanted Higuain, because he has a temperament that I think would fit in well with Arsenal. But at this point, the team is solid and smart. Add a bit of mad genius and, who knows? At this point, I’ll take him.

      By the way, Wenger did well in the past with a certain ill-tempered striker a few years back…

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  6. Suarez not submitting a transfer request is not all that surprising. He has several years left on a lucrative contract with LFC. Contracts have loyalty bonuses that reward players for staying through the life of the contract. If the player is sold by the club (obviously before the end of that contract) then the player is eligible for the loyalty bonus. However, submitting a transfer request, quite appropriately negates the “loyalty” aspect. If he submits a transfer request he does not get the bonus. It’s all about money. Clubs are not obligated to sell even with a transfer request, so it won’t always accomplish it’s goal, and can be financially negative.

    Which is why transfer requests are more rare than you might think. It’s also why Rooney and Bale have yet to submit them to try and force moves to Chelsea and Madrid. They hope that they can “force” through a move without officially appearing disloyal.

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  7. LFC should push hard for Costa, before they lose Suarez. If he’s going to try to leave the club, they’ll need to replace him with somebody. Right when it looked like LFC had a top 5 squad.

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