Arsenal abandon Suarez interest

Arsene Wenger has turned his attention to
other striker targets after admitting last
summer's move for the Uruguayan was ill-
judged

Arsenal have dropped their interest in Luis
Suarez after being told that Liverpool will not
yield in their unwillingness to sell the striker
to the Londoners, Goal understands.
The Gunners are still in the market for a
marquee centre-forward and have drawn up a
shortlist of targets for both January and next
summer.
But sources have said that Arsenal's pursuit of
Suarez is "dead in the water" because of
Liverpool's refusal to do business with their
rivals.
Relations between the two clubs soured in the
summer after Arsenal bid £40 million plus £1
for the Uruguayan. The Gunners had been led
to believe that an offer of a penny over £40m
would be enough to trigger a release clause in
his contract.
It was the second of Arsenal's bids for Suarez
in July and so infuriated the Merseysiders that
they refused to do business with the London
club despite the player making it clear he was
keen on a move to the Emirates Stadium and
subsequent indications that the Gunners would
table an improved offer.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has now
admitted that although their now infamous bid
was not intended to provoke Liverpool - owner
John W Henry tweeted "what are they smoking
over there" after receiving it - it may not have
been their smartest move.
"It was not the most subtle thing we have
done but it was not meant to be provocative at
all. It could be interpreted like that but it was
not our purpose," he told the press on Friday.
"Relations are good — we kept in touch over
that period. I don't want to dwell on that
situation. It was one of the transfers that
didn't work and in every club you have two or
three like that. Life is about opportunities that
you miss, some that you take."
Arsenal had turned their attention to Suarez
after closely pursuing Gonzalo Higuain, Wayne
Rooney and Stevan Jovetic during the summer.
They also failed in a last-ditch bid to sign
Demba Ba on loan from Chelsea.
Since the summer window closed, Arsenal have
learned that Liverpool's stance has not
changed and any approach for Suarez would be
instantly dismissed.
The Merseysiders are privately, as well as
publicly, confident of staving off interest in
their prize asset in January but accept that
they face another fight to hold on to the
player next summer.
Real Madrid are widely considered to be be the
favourites to capture Suarez, who has been in
sensational form since returning to the
Liverpool side following a 10-match domestic
ban.
The 26-year-old has scored six goals in five
matches since his ban, including a magnificent
hat-trick in Liverpool's 4-1 win over West
Brom last weekend.