The Gunners hedged their bets and lost out on the Argentine to Napoli.
There could be further news to anger Arsenal fans and completely undermine the club’s dealings in the transfer market, as it emerges a deal for Gonzalo Higuain was put on hold to try and sign Luis Suarez.
The former Real Madrid hit-man looked set to make the switch to north London, before negotiations went quiet and Napoli swooped in for the 25-year-old.
BBC Sport journalist David Ornstein has revealed that a deal for Higuain to move to the Gunners was close, but the club decided to wait on finalising proceedings as they also started a pursuit for Liverpool’s Suarez.
Understand #afc did not make offer for Higuain. Agreed personal terms but put deal on hold to prioritise Suarez, Napoli pounced #bbcfootball
— David Ornstein (@bbcsport_david) August 8, 2013
With a transfer for the Uruguay international looking more and more unlikely, this decision could come back to haunt Arsene Wenger’s men, as still as yet France under-20 striker Yaya Sanogo is the only new face at the Emirates Stadium.
Likewise, many would argue that Higuain is a better striker than the Reds forward and with a lower price-tag and no history in England of racism and biting opponents, perhaps Arsenal put all their eggs in the wrong basket.
With the Argentinian now settled in Naples and preparing for a Serie A campaign, the Gunners will have to put all their efforts in securing Suarez or face losing out on both targets when they already had one sewn up.
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