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The start of the Premier League season may only be two days away, but the Luis Suarez saga has been rumbling on for months now with little end in sight after suggestions the player would apologise and sign a new deal clarifying his Anfield future were quickly followed up by rumours the striker would instead continue to push for a way out.
Unsurprisingly, it's a subject Brendan Rodgers has begun to tire of speaking to, and at his press conference ahead of Saturday's match against Stoke City, the Liverpool manager placed a moratorium on answering Suarez-related questions until after the player's six-match ban for biting Branislav Ivanovic has ended.
"What I want to concentrate on is the players that are available for this weekend" said Rodgers. "I won’t be speaking any more about Luis Suarez until he’s available because the players that have been working so hard and focusing and concentrating to prepare for this game. For me and Luis it’s very simple.
"There’s been so much written about him over the last few months and there’s been a standpoint at the club and that hasn’t changed. Purely out of respect for the players I only want to speak about them. I don’t want to answer any more questions on Luis Suarez. There’s nothing to be said that hasn’t been said and I’m sure people are fed up listening to it to be honest."
Most Liverpool fans may well be as fed up hearing about Suarez as Rodgers is clearly fed up being asked about him. One imagines, though, that Rodgers' refusal to discuss the Uruguayan striker who wants to away from the English media for the sake of his family but could live with them if he can play in the Champions League and who thinks Rodgers is a lying meanie but on second thought will stay at Liverpool unless he won't isn't going to do a thing to put a stop to the ongoing saga.
It certainly won't be enough to stop reporters asking Rodgers about him and speculating about the player's future whether or not the Liverpool manager answers. Though at least for every Liverpool fan as sick as Rodgers is of having to put up with the summer's top billed football drama it's only two days now before the season kicks off to, hopefully, provide a measure of distraction.
When it comes to finding distraction from the Suarez saga in the transfer market and potential new signings, though, Rodgers had some bad news for Liverpool fans when he added: "There have been a number of players we've been linked with but nothing is imminent."
If true, it would serve to confirm suggestions the deal for Granada left back Guilherme Siqueira has hit a snag while also dashing fan hopes that the rumoured move for Anzhi's Brazilian attacker Willian as a statement signing was a legitimate possibility.