Arsene Wenger claims Luis Suarez agreed to join Arsenal from Liverpool in 2013.
The Arsenal manager explained why his side made a bizarre bid of £40,000,001 for the forward, the Gunners having been wrongly advised over a clause in his Anfield contract.
Suarez eventually joined Barcelona one year later for £65million, but Wenger insists a deal was effectively done and challenged any doubters to ask the Uruguay international personally.
He was very close [to signing], Wenger said to beIN Sports.
We had an agreement with the player. We had been wrongly advised that he had a clause, with a minimal clause, but we had an agreement with the player. You can ask him.
I m convinced he wanted to join us and then they sold him. They kept him one more year, improved his contract and promised to sell him the year later to a club abroad.
Wenger praised Suarez for improving his on-pitch behaviour after biting controversies earlier in his career, the striker having already won eight trophies at Camp Nou.
The Arsenal boss added: It is not normal. You cannot accept that. He had some behaviours that were shocking but I think as well you don t see them anymore since two, three years.
He got rid of all the things that were a handicap for him and today you don t see that anymore. He s still on borderline with what the strikers do well, you know, go down in the penalty box but you want that from an intelligent striker.
Overall I think he got rid of all the rest and rightly so and he deserved to be punished before and now you don t even expect it anymore from him.
