Luis Suarez reveals how he stopped Arsenal from signing Karim Benzema
Former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has claimed that he played a role in preventing Karim Benzema from swapping Real Madrid for Arsenal in 2014.
The Gunners initially held a strong interest in Suarez that summer and allegedly tabled a £40,000,001 offer that was swiftly rebuffed by Liverpool.
Suarez was also linked with Real Madrid after scoring 31 goals and registering 17 assists in just 33 Premier League games in what proved to be his third and final full season at Anfield.
Managed by Carlo Ancelotti during his first spell in charge, Real Madrid attempted to raise funds for their pursuit of Suarez by selling Benzema, who was wanted by Arsenal under former boss Arsene Wenger.
Real Madrid allegedly planned to sign Suarez after the 2014 World Cup held in Brazil, but the move collapsed following the Uruguayan's infamous bite of Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini in a group-stage match.
Suarez was subsequently handed a four-month ban from all football activity as well as a nine-game international ban, while Benzema's proposed switch to Arsenal failed to materialise as he ended up staying at Real Madrid.
Despite his lengthy suspension from football, Real Madrid's El Clasico rivals Barcelona reached an agreement with Liverpool to sign Suarez for a reported £75m, and he went on to score 195 goals in 283 appearances over a successful six-year period.
Speaking to Uruguayan radio station DelSol about the transfer saga, 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, Barcelona joined the race and obviously I preferred Barca.
«With the bite situation, Madrid lowered their interest and
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