The Gunners currently possess a huge pile of money in their bank account, readily available for them to use on transfers. As a result, their giant budget has seen them being actively linked to a host of players in previous weeks. From the likes of Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Higuain to Liverpool’s Luis Suarez and Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney, the media are churning out stories one after the other regarding Arsenal.

They are now being incessantly linked to exciting Brazilian international Bernard, as it was reported by the Brazilian division of ESPN that his club Athletico Miniero were in an advanced stage of discussions with Arsenal regarding a transfer for the 20-year old. A fee of £21 million was thought to be agreed between the two clubs, and that he had given his nod to a personal wage package of roughly £50,000-per-week.

There were also reports stating that he was due to fly into London by Thursday for a medical to wrap up the move following the return leg of the Copa Libertadores final against Paraguayan side Olimpia Asuncion in Belo Horizonte on Wednesday evening.

This news certainly got Arsenal fans excited as Bernard is considered as one of the best young play makers in the world. However, ESPN now state that Wenger has dented the fans’ hopes, at least for the time being as he was asked about Arsenal’s approaches for Bernard which he blatantly refused by simply saying, “That report is not true.”

Now we know that Wenger is a manager who always prefers to keep his cards close to his chest, especially when it comes to transfers. He has rarely openly divulged names of players Arsenal have been chasing, so simply denying a move for Bernard could yet be another iteration of his ideology regarding this transfer to possibly throw off the other suitors and Arsenal’s competitors for his signature.

Will it work is another question altogether. Do we believe Wenger this time around, or do we expect Arsenal to announce the capture of Bernard in the coming days, contrary to Wenger’s quote?