Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has finally given a little more insight into what really went on when the Gunners made that bizarre bid for Luis Suarez in 2013.
The Uruguay international, who later ended up moving to Barcelona and who now plays for Atletico Madrid, was a star player for Liverpool a few years ago and would have been a tremendous signing for Arsenal when he was at his peak.
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As reported at the time by the Guardian, Arsenal made a bizarre £40m plus £1 bid for Suarez – a move that has since been widely ridiculed.
Wenger has attempted to provide a little more context into what went on behind the scenes at the Emirates Stadium when they were pursuing Suarez that summer, though we’re not actually sure he’s made things much clearer.
The Frenchman says Arsenal were testing the water over his apparent release clause, but it turns out there wasn’t one and the wheels were perhaps already in motion for his big move to the Nou Camp anyway.
“We had an agreement with the player and his agent. But the agent claimed that there was a clause: with an offer above £40million, Liverpool would be obliged to let the player go,” Wenger is quoted by the Metro.
“But thanks to an indiscretion within Liverpool. I found out that his clause never existed. To check this was true, we offered £40,000,001. This may have seemed ludicrous, I admit.
“But Liverpool did not want to sell Suarez, they could afford to keep him and there was already an offer from Barca on the horizon.”