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Luis Suarez is a world-class footballer playing at a Europa League level football club. Logic dictates that the gap between what each has to offer the world of football needs to rapidly decrease or the Uruguayan will be off to a club regularly plying its trade in the Champions League and challenging for domestic honours.
Liverpool fans taking comfort from Suarez's recent interviews where he has proclaimed his love for the club and the fans (all undoubtedly heartfelt) are not entirely in touch with their club's current reality. Suarez has intimated that staying at Anfield is not contingent on Liverpool having a top-four finish. He may be expressing a personal opinion or he may be playing a clever game with devoted fans, but the reality is that Suarez's wishes are likely to be irrelevant should a big offer arrive hot off the fax machine in the summer window - as it surely must.
Failure to make the Champions League clearly weakens Liverpool's hand when it comes to Suarez. In fairness though, it's an issue they have been aware of for some time - and in tying their most saleable asset to a long-term contract, they have insured that if he has to go, it won't be on the cheap.
Realistically, it's very hard to see an organisation like Fenway and its avowed transfer market philosophy bat away an offer of upward of £40m for a player who cost them about half that figure two years ago. And while it hurts to say it, given Liverpool's current reality, they would be foolish to do so.
But what Liverpool fans should really fear is not Suarez going - but the owners not handing Brendan Rodgers the resulting proceeds to bolster and develop his squad. The manager's signings have not all been roaring successes to date, but the signature of Daniel Sturridge has at least shown that there are other potential routes to goal than those trodden by the brilliant South American.
Liverpool clearly need more quality in defence - centre-back and left full-back requiring immediate attention in the summer. Were Suarez to go, another striker would also be required. And Steven Gerrard cannot go on forever. So, a sum of £40m banked on Suarez would go a long way to allowing Rodgers fill those gaps and strengthen in a wider sense. You could after all shell out £10m on a quality centre-half, £15m on a quality striker and still have another £15m to speculate on midfield talent.
The club's owners are likely to take this logical, unsentimental view. The fans should do likewise.
Paul Little - he's on Twitter at https://twitter.com/little_football
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