Arsenal need to launch £40m bid to lure Luis Suarez from Liverpool Liverpool insist that they will be under no obligation to sell Suárez even if this valuation is met. They believe it entitles them only to inform Suárez of the approach, but this position will be examined if - or when - a side offers that much. For Suárez and his advisors, such a bid is sure to prompt them into thinking he is entitled to make his Anfield exit. Until such an offer is made, Liverpool have been able to stand firm maintaining that they rate ­Suárez even higher than the £50 million they received for Fernando Torres when he was sold to Chelsea two years ago. The only bid received so far has been from Arsenal, as reported by The Daily Telegraph on July 7, and confirmed by Liverpool's managing director Ian Ayre this week. There are suggestions that Arsène Wenger is prepared to increase his offer to £35 million. However, it has now emerged that the first Arsenal bid would have eventually increased to that amount based on Suarez's appearances and success in north London. Should Arsenal make a ­second bid, it will inevitably be above £35 million in order to eclipse the opening offer. Most likely, Wenger will agree to pay £40 million for Suárez to keep ahead of Real Madrid and other suitors in the chase for the striker. It will be at that point the saga will get messy as Liverpool try to resist Suárez's sale regardless of the contract clause. The club want the player and not the proceeds of his transfer as they are discovering how difficult it is to recruit - and in Suárez's case keep - high-class players when you have no Champions League football to offer. Liverpool are interested in 20-year-old Brazilian winger Bernard and have approached his club, Atletico Mineiro. Bernard has a release clause of around £20 million, but the South American is wanted by several Champions League clubs, Arsenal believed to be among them. As with the recent pursuit of Armenian Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Liverpool are vulnerable to having prime targets lured elsewhere to play in the elite competition. Stewart Downing, meanwhile, has informed Liverpool he has no wish to leave the club for West Ham. Sam Allardyce was prepared to pay £8 million for the former England winger, but Downing wants to fight for his position at Anfield.