Arsenal reportedly had a bid rejected for Real Madrid wideman Marco Asensio this summer.
The Gunners were linked with the Spanish international as Mikel Arteta aimed to add some creativity to his squad amid the club’s £150million summer transfer injection.
Arsenal did eventually manage to secure the signature of a Real Madrid midfielder but it was the permanent signing of Martin Odegaard instead of that of Asensio.
However, it appears that the Gunners not only expressed their interest in the wideman but actually lodged a concrete bid with his current employers.
As per Spanish outlet Cadena SER, Arsenal tabled a £34m offer for Asensio during the summer but actually had that bid turned down by Los Blancos.
It actually turns out that Real Madrid might have been foolish to reject such amount with the Gunners’ offer sitting slightly higher than Asensio’s current valuation of £31.5m, as per transfermarkt.
Having said that, the Spanish giants may think otherwise with the 25-year-old having plundered a hat-trick in Real’s 6-1 win against RCD Mallorca in mid-week - the first treble of his senior career thus far.
Arsenal could hold yet more regrets after their failed bid with Asensio himself having admitted in the past that former Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane had compared him to six-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi.
Talking to COPE in 2017, he said: “Zidane told me that since Messi, he had never seen a left foot like mine.
“I was a little impressed, because Messi is a piece of a footballer.”
Amid the links to Arsenal, Asensio only has just under two years remaining on his contract at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Should the Gunners revive their interest, he could become the latest in an ever-growing list of Real Madrid players to arrive at the Emirates Stadium after the likes of Mesut Ozil, Dani Ceballos and of course Odegaard.
