Luis Suarez has revealed that Karim Benzema was due to sign for Arsenal, before a late change of heart dashed their plan.
The Spanish giants were heavily linked with a move for the then-Liverpool sensation as they attempted to bolster their forward line. Suarez was fresh off the back of a stunning season in which he had scored 31 goals and provided 17 assists in just 33 Premier League appearances.
In attempting to finance a move for the Uruguayan, Real had put Benzema up for sale - with Arsenal close to sealing a deal for the Frenchman. Speaking to DelSol, 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, Barca joined the race, and obviously I preferred Barca. With the bite situation, Madrid lowered their interest, and Barca became more interested… In the end I had both options and I chose Barca because it was my dream."
In the end, Benzema ended up staying at the Santiago Bernabeu which saw Suarez’s potential switch to Madrid collapse. He of course ended up moving to Spain but to Clasico rivals Barcelona.
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Speaking at the time, former Gunners boss Arsene Wenger revealed that the clubs failed to find an agreement for Benzema. He said: "That's part of the fact you need three agreements for anybody. It's true that it is sometimes connected with other clubs. But we have to accept that."
Wenger also confirmed after his retirement that they were aiming to take advantage of Benzema’s lack of game time at Real Madrid. Asked if he had ever tried to sign Benzema, he replied: “Yes, because he was in competition with Higuain for a while.
Luis Suarez almost moved to Real Madrid after his stunning Liverpool spell (Getty Images)Would Karim Benzema have been a good signing for Arsenal? Share your thoughts in the comments below
“It was Higuain for three games, three games for Benzema. He played the game based on passing and connections, so he was an ideal player up front.
“He’s a striker who makes people around him better and sometimes you have strikers who score goals but they make players around them worse. He’s not one of them. If you put Benzema in the team, I would want to play with him.”
Arsenal were not only linked with a move for Benzema during Wenger’s time at the Emirates. It was reported that they were interested in January as Benzema attempted to manufacture a move away from Saudi side Al-Ittihad.
The now 36-year-old has made 20 appearances for the club this season and has scored 12 goals. His contract is set to run until the summer of 2026. Arsenal also attempted to sign Suarez from Liverpool during Wenger’s time at the club. They bid £1 over his £40m release clause - an attempt that drew ridicule from Reds’ owner John Henry.
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