Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers insists that the club did everything possible to keep striker Luis Suarez at Anfield, before ultimately agreeing on his transfer to Barcelona.
The Reds sold their star striker to the Catalans for a deal thought to be around £75 million. The Uruguayan, who has signed a five-year deal with the La Liga club, is expected to go through a medical next week.
Suarez scored 31 league goals for Liverpool and helped them mount a Premier League title challenge last season. The 27-year-old, who won the PFA Player of the Year award last season, still had four years left in his contract.
"Luis is a very special talent and I thank him for the role he has played in the team in the past two years, during my time at Liverpool," Rodgers said. "I think he would be the first to accept he has improved as a player over that period, along with the team and has benefited from being here, as we have benefited from him."
"The club have done all they can over a sustained period of time to try to keep Luis at Liverpool.
"It is with great reluctance and following lengthy discussions we have eventually agreed to his wishes to move to Spain for new experiences and challenges. We wish him and his young family well; we will always consider them to be friends."
Suarez is currently facing a four-month ban for biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini during a match in the World Cup, which made his future uncertain with the Premier League club. The 27-year-old will not train with the squad till his ban is over.
Rodgers said the club will keep on pushing in the forthcoming Premier League season and will look to go one step further from their last campaign. He also noted that no individual is bigger than the club.
"We are focused on the future, as we strive to continue with the progress we have made and build on last season's excellent Barclays Premier League campaign," Rodgers said.
"I am confident we will improve the team further and will be stronger for this coming season, when we will be competing on all fronts; domestically and in the greatest club competition in the world, the Champions League.
"If there is one thing the history of this great club teaches us, it is that Liverpool FC is bigger than any individual. I hope our supporters continue to dream and believe that we are moving forward and with continued improvement and progression, together we will bring the success we all crave and deserve."
