Christian Purslow - Suarez's agent should be blamed for uncertainty over deal

Christian Purslow, former Liverpool Managing Director, believes Luis Suarez should blame his agent if it is proved that there is no buyout clause in his contract.

Purslow told Sky Sports News: “What’s unusual about this case is there seems to be some significant confusion between the player and the club as to whether he did or didn’t have such an escape clause.

“Yesterday it became clear that he did not have a clause, so I suspect he’s pretty unhappy with his agent who got that wrong a year ago.

“I also suspect Arsenal are unhappy because they’re a club who do their business extremely properly and professionally and they will have been made aware by intermediaries acting for the player that he thought such a clause existed.

“They will have done the right thing which is make a written offer to Liverpool.

“They may have spent a lot of time thinking that if they were to make an offer at that level they would be securing a player. This is not something one does on a whim.

“I suspect Arsene Wenger and Arsenal have been planning Luis Suarez as their main signing for some time and to discover that such a clause is not valid and doesn’t work runs the risk of seriously wasting Arsenal’s time as well.”

Arsenal have two bids rejected for the Uruguayan, the second of which – worth £40m plus one pound – apparently met the striker’s buyout clause.

Liverpool, however, deny that there is any such clause in Suarez’s contract.