Arsene Wenger reveals truth behind Arsenal’s ‘ludicrous' Luis Suarez bid

The Frenchman has reflected on the failed attempt to acquire the Uruguayan in 2014

Arsene Wenger concede the offer for Luis Suarez was ludicrous (POOL/AFP)

Arsene Wenger admits Arsenal’s bid to sign Luis Suarez was “ludicrous” and that the clause in his Liverpool contract “never existed”.

The Uruguayan was a key target for the Gunners in 2014 with Wenger claiming a deal was agreed with the player and his agent.

The club were then told that the Reds would be forced to accept any offer above £40 million - prompting a £40,000,001 bid.

This caused outrage at Anfield, with relations strained, as revealed by owner John W Henry’s reaction to the bid: “What do you think they're smoking over there at the Emirates?”

“In 2014 [the 2013/14 season] we were looking to get Luis Suarez over,” Wenger writes in his new book, My Life in Red and White, as serialised in the Mirror.

“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 eventually joined Barcelona for £73.55m, where he enjoyed great success, including 198 goals in 283 games.

Suarez departed the Nou Camp this summer, moving on to Atletico Madrid, where he has already enjoyed an immediate impact, scoring twice on debut.