Arsenal bid for Suarez rejected
Arsenal have had a £30 million bid for Luis Suarez rejected by Liverpool, according to reports in the British media. The Telegraph and The Times have revealed the Gunners’ first concrete offer for the Uruguay international was swiftly turned down, with the fee falling well short of Liverpool’s expectations. Reports last month suggested the Reds would only consider offloading their striker for around £50 million, making Arsenal’s offer incredibly audacious. Despite Liverpool’s insistence that Suarez is not for sale, they have given him until July 22, right before the club’s pre-season trip to Australia, to sort out his future. Arsenal’s interest has been simmering for some weeks now and a move to the Emirates could come as a shock after Suarez’s open statements that it is the English media, not Liverpool, that would force him into an exit from Anfield. It is unclear whether Arsenal will make an improved offer for Suarez, with the door now ajar for Real Madrid to consider an approach for the 26-year-old.
Barca could turn to Chelsea’s Luiz
Barcelona could turn their attention to Chelsea defender David Luiz should the transfer of Thiago Silva from PSG break down, according to Spanish paper El Mundo Deportivo. Tito Vilanova has long been an admirer of Thiago and tried to sign him last summer. However, with PSG seemingly unwilling to sell the 28-year-old, whom they bought from AC Milan a year ago, the deal could be difficult, and PSG coach Laurent Blanc has said he is confident the player will stay. Should that be the case, Vilanova has already identified Silva’s Brazilian compatriot Luiz as his plan B. Both players lined up at centre-back for Brazil at the Confederations Cup and played key roles as the Selecao lifted the trophy. However, despite his excellent tournament, El Mundo Deportivo claims the Barca directors have identified Luiz, 26, as a risky option and believe he is tactically naive. German champions Bayern Munich have also been linked with a move for Luis, but sporting director Matthias Sammer has denied that the Champions League winners are planning to sign him.
Milan reject 30m euro El Shaarawy offer
AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has revealed the Rossoneri turned down an offer of ‘more than 30 million euros’ for the sale of Stephan El Shaarawy, although he refused to name the club who had made the bid, reports soccernet. El Shaarawy, 20, has been targeted by Manchester City and Chelsea in recent weeks after scoring 16 league goals for Milan last season. Despite his efforts in his second year at the club, El Shaarawy’s form came in for criticism, prompting speculation over his future. Milan insisted last week that they would not be selling the Italy international and Galliani confirmed reports that the club had rejected a formal approach for the youngster. ‘What we hadn’t told anyone was that we received a very big offer for El Shaarawy, but I will never name the club involved,’ he told Italy’s 7 Gold Television. ‘It is a very important club, though. ‘I informed the player’s agent and as soon as he returned from the Confederations Cup I spoke to Stephan. We did not want to sell him, so we simply informed the lad and his family that this proposal had arrived for him. ‘I asked him what he wanted to do. He said the money he had was more than sufficient, that he is a Milan fan and did not want to leave. I kissed him on the cheek and that was that.’ Galliani says he was always confident of holding onto El Shaarawy and played down concerns over the striker’s end of season form. — Sports Desk
-With New Age input
