Gunners make Luis Suarez top priority.
Arsenal’s interest in signing Luis Suarez may not be a ruse to force Real Madrid to sell Gonzalo Higuain after all…
According to The Guardian, Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is ‘determined to test Liverpool’s resolve’ over Suarez and is set to offer £35m for the Uruguayan.
The newspaper claims Arsenal have already agreed terms with Higuain but Wenger is delaying sealing a deal for the Argentine, not because Real’s asking price is too high but because he wants to pursue Suarez.
It was widely reported last week that Arsenal had made a £30m bid for the 26-year-old, only to be told the figure was too low by Liverpool.
Some reports have suggested Suarez has a buy-out clause of around £40m, so an increased bid may force Liverpool to reconsider, although the Reds remain desperate to keep hold of their star player, who scored 23 Premier League goals last season.
Arsenal pursuing Higuain & Suarez in hope of signing one. No fee agreed on Higuain, probably need to pay £40m release clause for Suarez #afc
— David Ornstein (@bbcsport_david) July 12, 2013
Manchester City are also reportedly tracking Suarez, who has made it clear he wants to play Champions League football next season.
Despite the former Ajax man’s claims he had been victimised by the British media, Suarez remains open to a transfer to another Premier League club; Real have been mooted as possible suitors to Suarez but president Florentino Perez confirmed last week they had not bid for the Uruguay international.
A move for Suarez would smash Arsenal’s existing transfer record – the £15m Wenger paid for Zenit St. Petersburg for Andrei Arshavin in 2009 – but Wenger reportedly has a £70m transfer kitty top spend this summer and the normally-thrifty Frenchman is understood to be willing to spend big.
The north London club reportedly remain hopeful of a pulling off a deal for Higuain should they want to but Perez claimed last week the Gunners had not bid for the 25-year-old striker.
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