ARSENE WENGER has lifted the lid on Arsenal’s famous £40million plus £1 offer for Luis Suarez.
The former Gunners boss was chasing Liverpool’s star man in the summer of 2013 as he searched for a new striker.
After Robin van Persie left for Manchester United the year before, Wenger was also looking in the market for Gonzalo Higuain.
But he had a tip off from Suarez’s agent claiming the Uruguayan had a clause in his contract allowing him to leave for anything over £40m.
In the Frenchman’s autobiography, Arsene Wenger, My Life in Red and White, he revealed: “In 2013 were looking to get Luis Suarez over.
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“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.
“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.”
Suarez ended up joining the Catalan giants in 2014 where he went on to score 198 goals in 283 games.
The now-Atletico Madrid man won nine major pieces of silverware at Barca including four league titles.
