Luis Suarez has revealed he agreed to join Real Madrid from Liverpool, only for the La Liga giants to cool interest after his 2014 World Cup bite on Giorgio Chiellini.
The Uruguayan had enjoyed an incredible 2013/14 campaign, scoring 31 goals from 33 Premier League games to nearly fire Brendan Rodgers’ side to the Premier League title. That was despite missing the first five games of the season, having been handed a 10-match suspension for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic in April 2013.
Suarez had attempted to force through an Anfield exit that summer, leading to Arsenal infamously making a £40m and £1 bid for the striker in an attempt to activate a release clause. However, Liverpool dug their heels in and refused to sell, before persuading the forward to stay put for another season.
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But come the 2014 World Cup after a record-breaking season on Merseyside, Suarez was expected to move on as he attracted interest from both Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Speaking in an interview with radio station DelSol 99.5 FM, the 37-year-old has revealed that he actually agreed a move to the Bernabeu and was set to replace Karim Benzema, who would have been sold to Arsenal, at Real Madrid.
However, his infamous bite on Chiellini in Uruguay’s World Cup clash with Italy earned him a fourth-month suspension and prompted the La Liga giants to cool their interest. He would end up signing for Barcelona in a £65m deal, with Suarez admitting that a switch to Camp Nou was his dream move regardless.
“Before the 2014 World Cup, Real Madrid wanted
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