Luis Suarez, the ex-Barcelona forward, recently shared insights into a last-minute decision regarding his 2014 transfer, which ultimately led to Arsenal failing to secure a deal for then Real Madrid star Karim Benzema.
Ten years ago, Suarez was eager to depart from Liverpool and attracted interest from several clubs. Arsenal notably had a bid of £40,000,001 turned down in the summer of 2013.
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A year later, Suarez resolved to leave England after various controversies and was determined to join a club in Spain.
Despite eventually joining Camp Nou and achieving remarkable success including winning the treble and numerous awards, Suarez has disclosed that Real Madrid initiated the pursuit to sign him.
In actuality, Madrid had a preliminary agreement and had devised a strategy to offload Benzema to Arsenal to finance the transfer.
However, the aftermath of the 2014 World Cup, marked by Suarez biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini, his third such offense, led Real to withdraw their interest. Subsequently, Barcelona intensified their pursuit, with the Catalan club being Suarez’s preferred destination regardless.
Speaking on Uruguay’s DelSol 99.5 FM radio station, Suarez said: ‘Before the 2014 World Cup, Real Madrid wanted to sign me and everything was on track.
‘They were planning to sell Benzema to Arsenal, it was all done.
‘When the World Cup started, Barcelona joined the race and obviously I preferred Barca. With the bite situation, Madrid lowered their interest and Barca became more interested despite the punishment. I will always be grateful for that.
‘In the end I had both options and I chose Barcelona because it was my dream.’
Suarez joined forces with Lionel Messi and Neymar to form the renowned ‘MSN’ attack, which propelled Barcelona to secure the treble during the 2014-15 season. This formidable trio collectively netted an astounding 253 goals in 113 matches.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid opted for another World Cup standout, acquiring James Rodriguez from Monaco, while parting ways with Angel Di Maria instead of Benzema, who subsequently moved to Manchester United.
As for Arsenal, they secured Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona in a £35 million deal and also added Danny Welbeck from Manchester United on deadline day. These acquisitions helped Arsenal finish third in the Premier League and clinch the FA Cup.
