BRENDAN RODGERS expects Luis Suarez to stay at Liverpool and spearhead the club's push for a Champions League spot this season.

The Anfield boss, speaking today at a packed press conference in Jakarta, insisted it would take something “drastic” for the Reds to consider selling the prolific striker.

Suarez, who is set to link up with Rodgers' squad in Melbourne next week, has made no secret of his desire to move on this su mmer but Liverpool are adamant he is not for sale.

Arsenal remain the only club to have tabled a bid for him but their £30million offer was swiftly rejected.

“Luis Suarez is a wonderful player and he is still very much a Liverpool player,” Rodgers said.

“No matter who the player is, nobody is bigger than Liverpool Football Club.

“Luis is a very important member of this squad and I am looking forward to working with him again this season after he had such a fantastic season.

“There has been lots of speculation about Luis moving to another club but, as I said, he is very much a Liverpool player.

“We had an offer that was nowhere near what we value him at. He's one of the top strikers in the world.

“Of course he wants to work and play at the top level. But unless something drastic happens, he will be staying here.

“He has got three years left on his contract. We are looking forward to him helping us get into the Champions League spots.

“That's a competition we are fighting to get into. The great name and history of Liverpool dictates it should be in that competition.

“It is difficult these days with the finance some clubs have but I believe that we will put up a great fight this season. Let's hope we can get back to where we belong.”

Suarez still has six games of his suspension for biting Branislav Ivanovic to serve but Rodgers believes he can put the controversy behind him.

He added: “What Luis did was wrong. He apologised to me and to his team-mates and the supporters.

“He will serve his punishment and now we have to put it behind us. We will move on and move on together. He knew what he did was wrong and he was told he was wrong by the football club.”

A media scrum of more than 300 journalists and photographers packed into a meeting room in the luxurious Hotel Mulia for Liverpool's opening press conference of the tour with many more turned away.

Rodgers' arrival was greeted by warm applause as hundreds of flash bulbs went off. He then delighted the locals by holding up a Liverpool shirt with 'Jakarta 2013' on the back before lifting the Indonesian flag above his head.

“The welcome we've had in this country has been incredible,” he said.

“The fact there were so many waiting for us at the airport after we landed was very humbling.

“It makes you fully understand the status this club holds throughout the world. It gives me great pride to be manager of the first Liverpool team to come to Indonesia.”

Liverpool trained at the Gelora Bung Karno National Stadium for the first time today and will return for a second session this evening.