* * *

 By Chris Bascombe

Henry says he warned Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis before Arsenal offered £40,000,001 that there was no prospect of any deal between clubs fighting for the same Champions League places. 

Liverpool rank Arsenal as the last club they would negotiate with, especially following their provocative bid designed to activate an exit clause, which the Anfield board are adamant does not exist. 

Henry says even it is too late even to consider a bid from overseas because there is no time to sign an alternative of Suárez’s class. 

The South American now faces isolation, left to determine how he can rehabilitate himself into the squad after the transfer window, although he told Spanish newspaper Marca he still wanted an amicable resolution. “My aim is to reach an agreement with the club in a friendly manner and I hope the clause we agreed a year ago is fulfilled,” he said. 

But the message from Henry was blunt. “We are not going to sell Luis. It’s a football reason. It’s not finances. At this point, so late in window, with everyone who’s already moved or isn’t moving, we do not have time to replace him. 

“So for football reasons we can’t – and especially to Arsenal. We’ve made that clear. I have said to Ivan Gazidis in a personal conversation that we will not sell to Arsenal. It is unequivocal, but that doesn’t seem to slow them down so I can’t wait to see what the next bid is. 

“We’re not in Europe this year and have not been in the Champions League for a while. To sell to a rival for those Champions League positions, or one of them, would be ludicrous. Whatever the bid is, we won’t sell him. We need Luis. Hopefully this will pass.” 

Suárez trained alone at Melwood again yesterday, banished for publicly criticising the club for not selling him. 

Liverpool would rather keep the player against his will than allow him to damage their top-four aspirations by moving to the Emirates, and Henry is livid the confidential details of Suárez’s contract were shown to the Arsenal board. 

“It should have been confidential, so absolutely it concerns me,” said Henry. “How does a club that doesn’t have permission to speak with your player see his contract? 

“Unfortunately, it’s the way it works in football. People don’t speak about it publicly but that’s the way it’s run. It’s how things are done. I don’t think there’s a point reporting Arsenal because it just seems to happen everywhere, throughout football. 

“I think Gordon Taylor is right when he says it’s not good for either side to have any clause. It’s not good for football and maybe the Professional Footballers’ Association can do something about this.” 

Liverpool’s despair is accentuated by the fact that they have stood by Suárez through his numerous tribulations, but Henry believes there is a way back into the fold once his ­current suspension for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic is over. 

“That’s going to be between the manager and player,” said Henry. “The manager is upset, as he should be, the supporters are, Luis is, but that’s going to be between those two and his team-mates. He’s one of the best players in the world. I have no reason to believe he won’t continue to be. 

“If you look at the full context of what’s happened here, it’s jarring to all our supporters. The club has stood by him so strongly at a time you could question whether the club should have stood by him, but they did. 

“There’s a saying in baseball about loyalty to the uniform. There’s a ­certain feeling you get when you put on a uniform as a baseball player and I’m certain it’s the same for most football players. When you put on the uniform it’s pretty special. I’d imagine for most footballers to put on the uniform of Liverpool Football Club is a big moment.” 

Henry says Liverpool are still working on deals for new recruits – one of which is understood to be the £24million purchase of the Brazilian striker Diego Costa from Atlético Madrid – and finishing in the Premier League top four remains the ambition this season. 

The Merseyside club’s global support was demonstrated during their recent tour of Australia and the Far East, but Henry insists it is essential that they consolidate on such enduring appeal with one-field success. 

“This club can’t not be in the Champions League,” he said. “It needs to be playing in Europe. It needs to be playing in the Champions League. That’s what Liverpool Football Club is about. 

“I have high expectations. We had a very good second half of last season and the reports from training and the feeling within the club among the players is good. I think we will ­surprise people this year. It will be disappointing if we don’t. 

“The reality was there were 95,000 people watching us in Melbourne. 

“It may well be romantic. Players usually want to win. They want to go, generally in any sport, where they can win. That’s why I think this particular episode is misguided. 

“The message is that the club is heading in the right direction. This episode is not going to stop us. That’s what we are all focused on right now.”