Arsenal to pursue Suarez

Stadium. But the delay in signing Higuaín has come as Wenger explores the possibility of pulling off a coup by landing Suárez.
Arsenal have been in contact with Liverpool to indicate a readiness to pay £30m for the Uruguayan only to be told that the figure was too low. Only something much closer to £40m may make Liverpool reconsider, even though they will fight to keep their star player.

Wenger is keen to give them a decision to make and Manchester City have also expressed an interest.
In fact, Wenger has made Suarez his No.1 transfer target.

And there is a growing belief at Arsenal they have a genuine chance of pulling off a sensational deal for the Anfield striker.
Gunners boss Wenger will go back with another approach this week, having already had an enquiry firmly rebuffed by Liverpool.

But Arsenal could yet face competition from Manchester City and Chelsea as Suarez’s position appears to have shifted as his agent Pere Guardiola looks to be ready to set up potential deals to other English Premier League clubs.

Suarez is still believed to prefer Real Madrid but Arsenal may be willing to top £35m while the Spanish giants have yet to make a firm approach.
Arsenal have stalled on their move for Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain to see if Suarez is available – but are still very much in for Higuain.

Higuain has been ordered to report up for the start of training yesterday by Real Madrid and new boss Carlo Ancelotti has not given up on convincing him to stay.
Arsenal have a deal set up with Higuain with personal terms all in place but the chance of getting Suarez has cornered Wenger’s attention and that has quickly gone from an enquiry to a real possibility.

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has insisted publicly that Suarez is not for sale and Arsenal would surely have to meet the £40m price which forces them to listen to offers.
Suarez initially said he would only go abroad but now seems as if a move to another Premier League club is on and Arsenal are living up to Wenger’s promises of being in the market for big names this summer.

Arsenal are still interested in Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini but have been reluctant to meet his £24m buy-out clause.
They did miss out on one potential signing on Sunday as Arsenal backed off QPR’s Brazilian keeper Julio Cesar and he will join Napoli on a season-long loan which gets his £70 000-a-week contract off the wage bill.

Meanwhile, Arsenal target Suarez is open to the possibility of staying in the Premier League, according to Sky sources. Suarez has consistently blamed intrusion from the English media for his wish to leave Liverpool this summer, and Real Madrid remain favourites for his signature with Sky Bet. Arsenal have already had one offer for the striker rebuffed but, amid reports a new bid is being prepared, Sky sources understand he has not ruled out joining an English club in the Champions League.

The healthy relationship between the two clubs’ boards is of further encouragement to the Londoners and, when asked whether there was a genuine possibility Suarez might start next season at Arsenal, a source close to the negotiations said: “Maybe.”

Wenger, meanwhile, would not be drawn on specific targets as he arrived in Vietnam for the latest leg of his side’s pre-season tour.
Wenger said: “You want me to announce a spectacular signing, but I can’t. We are working behind the scenes to strengthen the squad — but I can’t give you names.”

Wenger will send out a team to face Vietnam in Hanoi tomorrow on the back of a 7-0 victory over an Indonesia Dream Team at the weekend.
The Frenchman has been also been linked with moves for Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Higuain and Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney, and he last week described those two players – and Suarez — as “realistic targets, quality-wise.”

And Wenger believes Olivier Giroud has much more to offer Arsenal after seeing him score twice in Jakarta on Sunday.
Giroud came off the bench to quickly net twice from Bacary Sagna crosses as the Gunners romped to a 7-0 victory over an Indonesia Dream Team.

The France international striker is likely to face increased competition for his place up front in his second season at the Emirates, as Wenger looks to bring in extra firepower.
But the Arsenal boss had words of encouragement for the former Montpellier man, saying: “I like Olivier very much. He scored 17 goals in his first year in England when he needed to adapt and I’m sure he will respond.”

Arsenal were one goal ahead at half-time at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium after Theo Walcott opened the scoring, but the floodgates opened after the break as Chuba Akpom, Kris Olsson, Lukas Podolski and Thomas Eisfeld joined Giroud in finding the back of the net.

“It’s been a very positive night for us,” Wenger added.
“Everyone did very well. We played with pace, good passing and technical skill and we could also test some of our young players tonight.

“We were faithful to our game and we were rewarded with seven goals and a very good performance from all the players.
“Although it was only 1-0 at half-time, it became a very big win the last 20 minutes when we changed some players when Indonesia were tiring.

“The difference was our physical power and though there is still a lot of work to do before we are ready for the new season, this is a good start.”
Arsenal have now moved onto Hanoi in Vietnam, where they will face the national team in their next pre-season tour clash on Saturday. —The Mirror.