Arsene Wenger decided to humour the football world in 2013 when Arsenal made a bid of 40 million plus one pound to Liverpool for Luiz Suarez. Arsenal had tried to trigger his release clause at Liverpool, a move that was met with derision from Reds owner John Henry. Wenger says the Uruguayan had actually accepted to join Arsenal before Liverpool rejected the bid. The transfer highlighted Wenger’s penchant for haggling the price of players like how Ibadan women haggle the prices of goods.
“It was very close, we had an agreement with the player,” Wenger said. “We had been wrongly advised that he had a clause, you know, with a minimum [price]. But we had an agreement with the player. You can ask him.
“I’m convinced that he wanted to join us. And then they kept him for one more year, they improved his contract and promised to sell him a year later to a club abroad.”
Liverpool refused to sell and the Uruguay international moved to Barcelona in a £75m deal a year later.
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via GET Sportonline
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