Liverpool ace wanted to join Arsenal, Arsene Wenger claims

Michael Graham

Luis Suarez: Enjoyed fine form at Liverpool

Luis Suarez wanted to ditch Liverpool and join Arsenal a year before he left for Barcelona, says Gunners boss Arsene Wenger.

Wenger lodged an infamous bid of £40,000,001 for the striker in 2013, an offer which they hoped would trigger a release clause in the Uruguayan’s contract.

However, Liverpool remained steadfast in their refusal to allow him to join a Premier League rival and he remained on Merseyside for another year.

Wenger, though, believes Suarez himself coveted the switch to the capital.

“He was very close [to signing for Arsenal],” he told beIN Sports. “We had an agreement with the player. We had been wrongly advised that he had a clause, with a minimal clause, but we had an agreement with the player. You can ask him.

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“I’m convinced he wanted to join us and then they sold him. They kept him one more year, improved his contract and promised to sell him the year later to a club abroad.”

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